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FOREWORD

( By Dr. Gene M. Williams ,Th. D , Chancellor of Luther Rice Seminary & President of
Gene Williams Evangelistic Association in Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
Few people are as qualified to preach about missions as the author, C. V. John. For many
years he was engaged in preaching the gospel and enlisting others to preach the good news
to people groups that had never heard it before. In addition, he founded a college in order to
train missionaries to go to the regions beyond and taught countless number of students
preparing to go to the mission field.
The messages in this book were developed as he taught missions and challenged
Christians in various nations to go and/ or give!
Preachers and teachers, who wish to encourage others to go to areas beyond or
support those who go, will be wise to read these strategic messages, which are biblical in
every sense.
God will use these messages to speak to the heart of the reader.
A good expositor can take the excellent interpretations of the Bible passages and rework the messages to make them his own.

INTRODUCTION

In 1968, the Lord called me to enter into full time ministry as an itinerant evangelist. I
resigned my secular job. Now I thank my God for this gracious call. He allowed me to see
thousands of people hear the Gospel and hundreds of precious souls profess faith in Christ.
For ten years I was blessed to serve Him as an Itinerant Evangelist. It was a great
experience to see a multitude of precious tribal souls professing faith in Christ in the North
east India.
The call was later extended to reach the unreached and unengaged tribes and tongues
with the Gospel and to train, support and send pioneer church planters to places where no
church existed. To fulfil this heavenly calling, I was led also to take care of orphans and
mould their lives to be home-missionaries. Added grace was given to start a Bible College
and missionary training institutes with the purpose of teaching future missionaries and pastors
in sound doctrines, missionary vision and Bible centred expository preaching
God in His unfathomable grace enabled me to carry the Gospel to several ethnic
groups who had never heard the gospel and to plant several churches that strictly followed the
New Testament pattern of worship and propagation of the gospel according to the principles
found in the Acts of the Apostles.
In the same year (1979) the Lord forced me to be a spokesman for the national
missionaries who lived in remote places with minimal hygienic and sanitary conditions. I
patterned my life like Barnabas, to encourage the servants of God. As the Lord showed me
churches and believers that were blessed with material blessings and resources I sincerely and
humbly tried to challenge and inspire them to be supporters of these precious native church
planters in developing countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Peru, Honduras,
Indonesia and some African nations. In this context people who knew me for years began
calling me the Mr Barnabas and Missionary Advocate. I can say that I lived for the Lord,
for the Gospel and for others for the past four decades. I often said to some of my closest
friends, If you intend to make a memorial stone for me at my grave, let the epitaph read He
Lived for others.

Stop living for self and start living for Christ, for the Gospel and for others is my plea
to all the saints of the Lord.
The sermons in this book are the missionary challenges God gave me and I have preached
them in different places, humbly seeking the Lord to touch the hearts of materially blessed
saints to stand behind the pioneer church planters and support them on a regular basis. God
did honour this ministry and moved the hearts of His people to be strong supporters of the
servants of God. The Lord enabled me to be a bridge between these missionaries and the
saints who were blessed with resources.
As you read these simple and straight messages, it is my prayer that God will inspire
your hearts to go on short term mission trips, sponsor a pioneer missionary, or support an
orphan to be a servant of God. God will help you join hands with me as a spokesperson, and
as an advocate for those precious church planters to plead their cases to the lukewarm
churches.
In my extensive journeys as a missionary, I have come across the servants of the Most
High living in great poverty. With shabby shacks and leaky roofs many lack the basic
necessities and nutritional needs. Many do not have the means to send their children to
schools. They do not have the means to purchase Gospel tracts for the seekers or Bibles for
new believers. Many new believers and congregations do not have the resources to build a
place of worship. Simple modes of conveyance like the bi-cycles and scooters are also a
rarity and a luxury for many. I witnessed missionaries being obedient to the Lord in the
winter as they shivered in the severe cold and persevering in the scorching and brutal heat of
summer without a small ceiling fan to make life a little easier.
I am a witness for these servants of God. I heard them and I lived with them.
Therefore, dearly beloved, with earnest prayers and in humility I am speaking to you in these
sermons. I am not a good writer and there could be several flaws in this book but my hope
and prayer is that your hearts will be blessed by these sermons. In the love of Jesus Christ and
for the sake of our dear men and women who labour for the Lord, please read these words
with an open mind and ask the Lord to bless your heart as you reflect on the Bible verses,
thoughts and mission field stories. I am only a bridge for the missionaries in third world
countries to reach those who are materially blessed by the Lord. As long as I live I just want
to be a Midnight Advocate for the native church planters.

It is my humble prayer that your heart will be moved and broken and you will be persuaded
by the Lord to pray for the precious servants of the Lord and that you will give your resources
to support these warriors of the Lord in poorer countries.
Your fellow labourer in the vineyard of our Lord.

BEWARE OF THE BED AND THE BASKET.

(LAMP ON A STAND)
By Dr C.V.JOHN.
Turn with me to different portions of scriptures, because all those verses give light to
the various truths I am trying to make in this message.
In Mark 4:21 is recorded a warning from our Lord, Is a lamp brought to be put under
a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lamp stand?
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp
stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:9, But you are a chosen generation, , a royal
priesthood, a holy nation , His own special people , that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.
The whole world is groping in darkness and they do not know they are head on to
eternal hell and its torments. We Christians are called to show them the light and lead them to
eternal life. How is this possible? Jesus declared in John 8:12, I am the light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
We who were in darkness have seen the light. We have received the light. We who are
children of God have become the light of the world. With this reflected light, we must lead
the people of the world to eternal light and life.
How is this possible? A careful reading of the above scriptures reveals the following
basic truths about Christian witness that will lead sinners from darkness to marvellous light:FIRST OF ALL, it is by our verbal PROCLAMATION of the Gospel that we can lead
sinners to Jesus Christ, the light of the world. In 1 Peter 2:9 it is written, That you may
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. This
witnessing is by our LIPS. This is by preaching the Gospel. This is what our Saviour has
commanded us, Go into the entire world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark

16:15). Apostle Paul testified that to this Gospel, I was appointed a preacher.(2 Timothy
1:11). There are many Christians who would say that their calling is not to preach but just to
show the love of Jesus by their lives. They believe that sinners will see their lives and get
saved. Mother Teresa never proclaimed the Gospel with her lips. She lived a life of sanctity
and charity sacrificing all comforts of life to serve the poor, destitute, orphans, widows and
the needy. But the Bible clearly stated in Romans 10:17, So faith comes from hearing, and
hearing by the word of Christ. Your life will surely attract people to your saviour (I will
explain the importance of life witness in a subsequent point of this sermon). But here let me
give emphasis to the fact that without the verbal witness of the Gospel nobody can be saved.
Sinners should either read the Word or hear the Word. Therefore, I have made it a point in
my counselling that the seekers should read the Bible verses for themselves. Though I may
tell stories and illustrations to prove a point in my sermon, I am convinced that sinners can be
convicted of their sins only by reading and hearing Gods Word/ Sinners who are convicted
of their sins will receive their living faith to accept Christ only through the Word of God that
is applied to them by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18,For the preaching of the cross is
foolishness to them that perish but unto us it is the power of God. Therefore he was not
ashamed of the Gospel to be proclaimed (Romans 1:16). He said, I am a debtor both to
Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as in me, I am ready to
preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also (Romans 1:14, 15). He wrote to the
Corinthians, in 1 Cor. 9:16For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for
necessity is laid upon me, yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! After repeating
several times about the importance of preaching, Paul exhorted his spiritual son Timothy in 2
Timothy 4: 2, Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke,
exhort with all long suffering and teaching.
Throughout the Old Testament we read about the prophets of God preaching and
warning people to repent of their sins and trust in God. Noah preached for 120 years, though
the people did not respond. Jonah preached to Nineveh and they repented. Prophets preached
and the people did not receive their word. Even if people do not respond or repent, it is the
responsibility of all Christians to proclaim (preach, declare, announce, herald) the gospel of
Salvation.

But you may ask me what this gospel to be preached is? Apostle Paul has given a
simple definition of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-6, Moreover brethren, I declare to
you the gospel which I preached to you that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures. The atonement of Christ- the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our
salvation is in a nutshell the full gospel we need to preach.
Beloved, every born again child of God is expected to give verbal witness about the
eternal salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. This is not optional. It is compulsory.
It is a command from the Lord. You can do it without any theological training. This is the
sharing of your testimony. You have no excuse dear brother. You are called to be a witness.
If you do not witness by your lips, it is a terrible crime. God said in Ezekiel 3:17 & 18, Son
of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My
mouth, and give them a warning from me: When I say to the wicked, you shall surely die and
you give him no warning, nor to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that
same wicked man will die in his iniquity: but his blood I will require at your hand. Imagine
you watch a child dying in a house fire and you do not save that child, though you are able.
Visualize a swimmer watching a child fall in water and drowning. These are horrible crimes.
Beloved, God is expecting you and commanding you to share the Gospel of deliverance to
the sinners around you.
When I say you have to proclaim the gospel, I do not mean to say that you have to be
able and eloquent to preach from the pulpit. I do not mean that you need to be expert in
homiletics. What I do mean is that you must open your lips and share the word of God, which
leads people to faith and salvation. This can be done by any child of God even by those who
are newly saved and without any Bible training.
Several years ago, I was preaching for five days on the Second Coming of Christ in
Singhat town in Manipur State which is quite close to Myanmar (Burma). . More than 1000
people came to attend and many of them were from Burma. I had a singing group of 12 teen
agers, boys and girls, all of them high school students. Every one of them knew Jesus Christ
as their personal saviour. At the close of the first nights preaching I did invite sinners to
come forward to receive Christ. More than 100 came at the invitation. We did not have
enough counsellors to talk to them and pray with them. I requested the singing group to come
and help in counselling. Every one of them was scared because they had never witnessed

publicly and they did not have any formal training in counselling. But I challenged them with
these questions, Do you know Jesus is your saviour? Can you share your testimony? Do you
know John 3:16? Do you love these people? Do you want them to go to heaven? To each
question they answered YES. I asked again, Do you want them to go to hell? They said,
NO. Then I challenged them, Just go and share your testimony as to how the Lord saved
you. Then read to them John 3:16 and then lead them in sinners prayer for forgiveness and
acceptance of Christ. They all went hesitantly. One girl (Ms Chiengpi) belonged to the Paite
tribe. She spoke only Paite language. The lady she had to counsel belonged to Kuki tribe and
knew only Kuki language. Both of them understood barely the language of the other, but
could not speak the language of the other. Chiengpi was helpless. She shared her testimony.
After that she read John 3:16. Nothing happened. Chiengpi did not know what else to do. She
knelt down with the lady, held her hands, and started weeping before God for the precious
souls of the woman who came in search of salvation. A miracle happened. The lady was
convicted of her sin, accepted Christ as her saviour and Lord and started rejoicing. She was
gloriously saved, though Chiengpi was not eloquent in her sharing.
Chiengpi was happy and excited. She came to me along with the newly saved lady
and said to me, Thank you for asking me to do counselling tonight though I was scared. But
now I am so happy. Tomorrow also please call me and ask me to do counselling. I will gladly
do it every night. Beloved, you may not be eloquent in your speech. You may not have any
bible training. But you can be a witness of the Lord. You can simply share your testimony
and pour out your heart. When you do it faithfully, the Lord will bring salvation to those to
whom you witness. Be obedient to God and be faithful.
THE SECOND way you witness is by your LIFE. It is by practicing what you preach. That
is what we read in Matthew 5:16, Let your life so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father in heaven. A born again child of God must show the
change in the way he lives. He is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is true that nobody
will be saved by observing our moral living. But the world will be attracted to Christ when
they see our holy living. That will be a convincing platform from which we can testify with
our lips and share the way of salvation. We have already seen that life style evangelism that
people advocate is biblically wrong. Lifestyle of course will give a strong backing for the
verbal witness we proclaim. To the leper that Jesus healed, He commanded, Go and show

yourself. In KJV reading 1 Peter 2:9 says, That you may show forth the praises of Him who
called you from darkness to His marvellous light.
A holy living will not save anyone. But your holy living will give a solid backing
(support) to the Gospel you share to the sinners. When your life is not exemplary, you will
have no boldness to open your lips and witness to others. Therefore Apostle Paul frequently
exhorted in his letters, walk according to the gospel or let your conversation be worthy of
the Gospel.
While in Manipur State, India one elderly man came to me and pleaded, Please visit
my neighbour. He is a drug addict. Doctors say that he will not live long. He is not saved. He
is scared to die. Please come and witness to him and show him the way of salvation. I
replied, You have told me that you are a born again Christian. Are you not able to witness to
your neighbour? He answered, Yes, I am born again. But I do not have the boldness to
witness to my neighbour. He knows my life. He knows that I am living an unclean life. He
knows that I have some bad habits. I cannot witness to him. My backslidden life has silenced
my lips. This is the tragic state of many professing Christians.
In Matthew 5: 14 Jesus told the disciples, You are the light of the world. This
statement implies the type of life a child of God should live in this world. We have to show
the characteristics of light in our lives. What are those characteristics?

(1) Light travels in

straight line. Your life should be straight not crooked. You must be always transparent and
honest. You must be a person of integrity. (2) Light is a unity of seven colours. Believers
should live in unity and not in strife and conflict. There has to be harmony. We should be in
one accord. (3) Light exposes dirt around. Your life should expose the evils around and
encourage people to live clean lives. (4) Light produces energy. A child of God should live
powerful life. He has to be powerful in life with the Word of God, with the Spirit of God and
with the presence of God (Phil: 4:13). (5) Light gives guidance and direction to people. The
children of God should be always ready to show the light and direct the people in the right
path.
Dearly beloved, mend your way of living and make it according to the Gospel. That
will enable you and embolden you to be a witness of the Lord to all around. Your Life must
support your Lips. Your preaching must be backed by your practice. Your life should not
hinder the spreading of the Gospel of Christ. Your life should be a stepping stone for the

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declaration of the Gospel and not a stumbling block. Are you a stepping stone or a stumbling
block? Are you spreading the gospel or hindering the gospel? Remember, you are before a
watching world. If you do not live according to the Gospel you are a puzzle to the world.
The main text we have read tonight warns us about two ways we often hinder the light
from spreading. Jesus gave the warning in Mark 4:21, Is a lamp brought to be put under a
basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lamp stand? We often knowingly or
unknowingly yield to these two temptations, bed and basket, resulting in our laziness and
indifference in witnessing to the lost people living near and far. We hide the light under the
bed. We hide the light under the basket.
First of all let us examine how we hide the lamp under the bed. What is the meaning of
Bed?
BED is a place of rest and relaxation. Bed is the place where we sleep. Bed is the place where
we tend to be lazily spend time. BED REPRESENTS OUR COMFORT ZONE.
The Gospel is hid from millions of people because we the people of God live in our own
comfort zones. We do not want to leave our comfortable home, our kith and kin, our
entertainments, our delicious food and our dear community. We do not want to endure
hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Brothers, you and I would not have become Christians if the pioneer missionaries had
not left their countries of comfort and luxury. We are believers now because those people left
their comfort zone and came over to our country, lived, suffered and many of them even died
in the jungles, over the mountains and in the hands of the enemies. But they made sure that
the light of the Gospel be penetrated into the darkest regions of our country.
Let us also think of the early missionaries from our own state of Kerala, who went to
the very hostile climate and people of North India to educate the illiterate and evangelise the
sinners. Some of them starved, many of them were beaten and some of them were killed.
They left their comfort zones to spread the light of the Gospel to tribes and tongues who
lived in darkness and death.
In 2010 the Lord gave me the opportunity to go to the AHOM people who live in the
State of Assam, India. This is an unreached people group. They live in scattered villages in
some of the far interior places of Assam. With two of my friends I visited a village .That was

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during the monsoon rains. We were drenched in the pouring rain and we had to walk through
ankle deep mud. I was quite hungry. Satan tempted me to remember the comfort of my
home, the fire place, the soft bed and the good food.
But the Lord gave me victory over those sensual thoughts and enabled me to endure
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The Lord gave fruit to our labour in that village.
When we reached the village and witnessed Christ and His salvation, people were saved and
a house church was born.
The following day we proceeded to a small island settlement of fishermen. The only
way to reach the place was by crossing the river in a small boat that was pedalled (rowed) by
a boat man. It was flood time and the current was strong. I did not know swimming. Water
was almost reaching the brim of the small canoe. I was scared. I was tempted to go back to
the comfort and safety of my home. But the love of Christ did compel me to take this risk and
proceed on to the village. The Lord gave harvest of souls in that village. The light of Christ
and His Word entered in the family of Mukeswar, the oldest man who was the leader of that
small village of 19 houses. When I saw the salvation of Mukeswar and his family, I forgot
the fear, discomfort and the trails I faced to reach the village. Now we have a house church
in that village. Apostle Paul stated this truth in 2 Corinthians, God who commanded light to
shine out of darkness Beloved, we are called to leave our comfort zone and carry the light
to the dark and difficult places.
Often we see the cities evangelised and remote villages un-evangelized. What could
be the reason? One main reason is that most evangelists and church planters prefer cities with
better facilities, better communication, better food and all amenities of life. We should not
forget or neglect the tribes and people living in remote regions without material blessings of
the civilized societies.
In Matthew 8:19 & 20 we read of a man who came to Jesus and volunteered to follow
him saying, Teacher I will follow you wherever you go. Then Jesus said to him, The foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His
head. This implied that to be a follower of Christ he has to give up the comforts of life. We
do not read of the man any more. Probably he stopped following the Lord when he knew it is
going to be a hard life. We read of young disciple John Mark quitting right in the middle of

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the first missionary journey. Probably that was because of the hardships of the journey.
Missionary travel was not as comfortable as he expected.
How true it is even in attending worship meetings on a Sunday! If the weather is a bit
cold or slightly rainy, dont we say some lame excuse and remain home? How often we
hesitate to volunteer for outreach programs with excuses of distance, terrain, climate and lack
of food and facilities! Often we neglect opportunity for evangelism because we prefer
entertainments, recreations and favourite TV shows.
Dear children of God, it is your responsibility to leave the comfort of your homes and
then volunteer to go for outreach programs like house visitation, tract distribution, street
preaching and personal witnessing where ever the Lord opens opportunities. Let us not be
content only with our Sunday worship, Bible studies and cottage meetings with our own
church folks. Let us leave the comfort zone and go where the sinners are.
A good friend of mine was a lecturer in one of the universities in India. The Lord
called him into full time evangelism. So he resigned. He walked on the hills with me for few
months preaching the gospel to tribes that lived in darkness. We slept in the forests and
suffered hunger at times. We saw many souls saved during those few months. Those were
sweet and glorious days.
But the dear wife of my friend did not like this kind of hard life with frequent
separations and deprivations of a posh living. She wanted to purchase and possess things
like her neighbour did. She wanted to have all the modern gadgets in the home. She wanted
to own the latest car and live in the most modern house. This dear wife forced her husband to
give up full time ministry for the Lord. Because of her persuasion my preacher friend took up
a lucrative business and he became very successful in that. He, his wife and their children
acquired all things they desired. They enjoyed the comfort zone. The world certified them as
successful people.
However, after three decades my friend met me and confessed to me with tears in his
eyes, Brother, as a family we have all things we desired. I have a good image in society. All
say that I am a successful man. But, all my children have become ungodly. We have no peace
in our home. And I am living with a heavy heart of guilt. I have disobeyed God. It is too
late to make any change. I have only few more years to live. Please do pray for me.

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SECONDLY, let us examine how we hide the lamp under a BASKET.

What does the Basket represent? In KJV the word used is Bushel. Among the
Hebrews in olden times Bushel was a pot-like basket for measuring milk, oil and grains. So,
the bushel or basket represents our business, our transactions and our vocation for our
income. What is the spiritual meaning here?
God has blessed you brother with a job or business. Unfortunately, often you and I
become pre-occupied in our business and we neglect or forget witnessing for our Lord.
Your job is a gift from God. It is a blessing. Your land is a gift from God. Your comfortable
home is given to you by God. How sad, if you and I focus on our business, home, job and
comforts and neglect the responsibility of showing the light (Jesus Christ) to the world?
Have you not seen believers who prayed for a land and God gave it to them? Then
they spend their whole day in the farming without sparing anytime for Church fellowship,
Bible study or witness. Have you not come across people who prayed for a job overseas? God
gave them good jobs in the gulf countries or the western countries. God blessed them so
much materially. But they forgot to be witnesses of the Lord. They do not even contribute
for missions. Have we not seen young believers on fire for the Lord praying for good jobs in
our own country? After they got the job and the life became hectic with the job, they have
neglected the fellowship with the saints and forgot to spread the light of Jesus to others.
It is a blessing to get a good job in BPO or call centres. It is a blessing to have fine
jobs in high tech cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad. I do remember one young couple who
asked me to pray for the success of their soft-ware, high tech firm. We prayed. God blessed.
The company grew with more staff members and increasing contacts around the globe. They
had to work 24/7. They had to work night shifts and day shifts. Slowly they reduced their
visits to the church. Then they stopped coming to the Sunday worship. Finally they
completely stopped attendance in any kind of activities or fellowship in the church. They are
so busy. They have no time for corporate worship. They started giving the excuse that they
can watch Christian channels in TV and listen to good sermons. They claim that they can
worship the Lord with whole heart in their office and home watching the vibrant worship in
TV. They have completely ceased witnessing to others. They are starving spiritually and they
are ignorant of their spiritual wilderness.

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Very often we Christians labour hard from morning till evening for our personal and
family needs. There are Christians who work hard 24/7 to become richer and accumulate
properties, buildings, vehicles and gadgets. This is known as materialism. The Lord gave
an elaborate explanation of this in Matthew chapter 6. Then he gave a challenge to His
children, But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
will be added unto you.
There is nothing wrong to acquire wealth, properties and riches by hard labour. To be
a rich man is not sin. But the admonition here is that you and I must live frugally, spend what
we have for the kingdom of God and focus on spreading the light of Christ to the nations.
For the glory of God I must tell you my personal experience on this matter. I hope this
sharing of my testimony will bless your heart. When the Lord called me into full time
ministry in the year 1968 I prayed to God, Dear Lord, help me to live a life of victory over
materialism. Enable me to live a simple life. Protect me from shopping spree. Safeguard me
from the purchase of anything that is not necessary for me and my family. Help me to be a
raven to receive from your hands whatever I should give out to the servants of God, just as
in the story of Raven that carried bread for Elijah. Dear Lord, discipline my heart that I
will not go after brand names to satisfy my ego and keep an image. Master, use me as a
pipeline to bless and provide the needs of missionaries, Bible students, orphans and
widows.
The Lord has honoured my commitment and request these many years. With my
family I lived in rental homes that were not expensive. The vehicle I bought had been of midrange or low-range price. God controlled me from purchase of estates or palatial house. My
goal and ambition always had been to spread the gospel with whatever resources He gave to
me.
Beloved, are you getting the central point I am aiming at? Our business should never
shroud out our main focus on spreading the light of Christ to the tribes and tongues. Our
business and income should be just tools for the spreading of the Gospel. It is a sin to be busy
in seeking for material blessings and comfortable living while neglecting the propagation of
the Gospel.
In conclusion, let me remind the warning of Christ to each of us, stated in Mark 4:21
and paraphrased in my words, Do not hide the lamp under a bed or a basket. Place the lamp

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on a lamp stand that others will see the light. Jesus gave one example in Matthew 5: 14,
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
That statement reminds me of the six cities of refuge as recorded in Joshua 20. Those
six cities stand for Christ who is the true refuge for sinners. All, these cities were on
mountain tops. None of them were in the valley. These cities were places of refuge for those
who became murderers un-intentionally. The murderers who were fleeing away from the
avenger of the blood could easily see the cities because they were on the mountain tops.
Jesus Christ and His cross must be kept on the mountain top. It is the duty of every
Christian to lift Christ and His atonement higher than anything else. We must preach the
gospel of Christ through our lives and our lips. Apostle Paul therefore declared his
determination, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14) . It
is so sad that many liberal preachers preach a social gospel and avoid preaching the true
gospel of soul salvation through the atonement of Christ. They avoid the terms blood,
cross death repentance born again and assurance of salvation.
Beloved, let us lift Jesus Christ above everything and everyone else. Jesus declared,
If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself (John 12:32).
Finally let me hasten to bring your attention to one more important lesson about keeping the
lamp (light) on a lamp stand. King David testified in Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp
to my feet and a light to my path.The word of God is compared to light and lamp. Without
much comment let me point out our three-fold responsibility towards the Bible, the Word of
God. You must DECLARE the Word to the world. You must DEMONSTRATE the word
in your life. You must DEFEND the word of God.
Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16 , All scripture is given by the inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good
work. Bible, the word of God gives sufficient light for the life of every man. We do not
require any other light.
Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witness and the Mormons claim extra biblical
revelation. They add to the Bible the so called visions, dreams and prophecies of Ellen G

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White, Russell and Joseph Smith. Each of them adds good works to be added to the grace of
God for salvation. They do not believe in the literal, eternal hell for sinners. Mormonism
teaches universal salvation in the end for all. They claim to be Christians. They are not. These
are cults. It is the duty of every Christian to fight against these cultists and contend for the
faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
Then there are the liberal theologians who reject the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible.
Some of them do not believe in miracles. Many of them do not believe in the virgin birth of
Christ. Lots of them refuse to believe in the personal, literal return of Jesus Christ. Beloved,
you and I must stand for the Word of God and lift up the light of Gods word. Bible is higher
and greater than any other books in the world. The word of God convicts the sinners, corrects
the false teachers, counsels the seekers and comforts the discouraged. The Word of God is
sweeter than honey and the honey comb.
Apostle Paul held the word of God and defended the purity of the Gospel. He could
not tolerate the false teachers who tried to compromise and dilute the Word of God. He
pronounced a curse upon those who add to the word of God. (Galatians 1: 8). Paul was a
good fighter (soldier) for Christ and His Word. (2 Timothy 4: 6-8).
Dearly beloved, let us dedicate our lives today to be courageous witnesses for this
light- Jesus Christ the light of this world and His word that is light and lamp to every soul in
this dark world. Let us not hide this light under bed or bushel. Let us keep this light on a
stand that others may see. Let us keep the light on the mountain top.

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GIVE YE THEM TO EAT (KJV)

Mark 6:32-44.

The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that is recorded in all of the four Gospels.
Jesus was busy teaching people and healing the sick. The Apostles were with him and
they were busy and tired. So Jesus asked the Apostles to rest in a deserted place. The crowd
came to know of Jesuss presence and began their walk to follow Him and overtook Jesus and
the disciples. A multitude was waiting for Jesus and the Apostles by the time they arrived at
their destination in Bethsaida. Jesus began to teach the people and as evening came, Jesus
knew that the crowd was weary and hungry. He had compassion for them and He said to the
disciples, You give them something to eat (V. 37).
The Bible says that there were 5000 men. Surely, there would have been children
present too and perhaps there were an equal number of women and many children. The
phrase There is a lad here... is clear proof that there were young boys and girls in that
crowd. So the number of people could have been 15000 or even more. Feeding all of them
would be humanly impossible in that desert place with no easy access to shops and the lack
of money.
A careful and comparative study of the four recordings of this miracle will give us at least
four precious principles for world evangelization. Let us look at them one by one.

1: The Mind Jesus Had for Evangelization. V.34. He was moved with compassion...
Compassion is not merely pity or sympathy. It means to suffer with the other. The pain of
another becomes our pain and that motivates us to render help. Jesus was a man of
compassion. Jesus cried over the city of Jerusalem, in his compassion knowing that in spite of
their zeal for religion and rituals they were ignorant and rejected the Lord. Jesus wept at the
grave of Lazarus because of his compassion for Martha and Mary. He wept because of His
love for Lazarus and His knowledge of the curse of death that mankind inherited because of
sin.

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When he saw the multitude, Jesus was moved with compassion. How did he see them?
(i)

He saw them as sheep scattered and hungry and without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36-39).

(ii) He saw them as ripe harvest field without harvesters (Matt. 9:36-39 & John 4:35).
God is looking for people who can see the world of sinners as scattered sheep without
shepherd and harvest fields without harvesters. This will make us weep (Pray) and
motivate us to go to the harvest field. This will inspire and enable us to give (support) money
and send harvesters.
Someone has said, The four key words of evangelization is LOOK, WEEP, GO and
GIVE (send). Every child of God who looks to the world with the eyes of Jesus will
understand His vision and will weep for the people and regions that have not heard the
Gospel and be persuaded to live as a witness. If we are not able to go to far off lands, we will
give our money to support and send missionaries.
God is seeking men and women who have the mind of Jesus, the mind of
compassion. William Carey wept for India when he saw the map of India and read about
Indias spiritual darkness and he was compelled to go to India as a missionary. It was
compassion which made Hudson Taylor go to China, Adoniram Judson to Burma and David
Livingstone to Africa as missionaries. John Knox prayed, O God give me Scotland or I die.
God wants men and women of compassion to win lost souls.
Apostle Paul also felt the compassion for his own people, the Jews. He testified to this
fact in Rom. 10:1, 2 & 9:1-5. He wrote, I say the truth, I lie notthat I have great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart for his people who were religious but lost. He was even
ready to be accursed for the salvation of Israel. Jeremiah also had this kind of compassion
for the Hebrew nation. He was called the weeping prophet because of his tears and
lamentations for the people of Israel. He said in Jer. 9:1, Oh that my head were waters, and
mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of
my people. Jeremiah continued his weeping and exclaimed, Behold, and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, where with the Lord has afflicted me in
the day of His fierce anger... (Lam. 1: 12, 13 of: Jer. 8:19-22). Augustine Salins, the founder
of Ambassadors of Christ in India was known as the weeping prophet of India. I saw him

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many times weeping, praying and preaching in tears. His life of compassion blessed me
greatly and challenged me to be compassionate towards sinners, backsliders, orphans and the
destitute. God, please raise men and women of compassion, tears and broken hearts.
2: The Means Jesus Used for Evangelization. V. 37.
God used the disciples to feed the multitude. He said to them, You give them to eat.
The Church of God is the means for the evangelization of the world. Rather than employing
the angels for this great task God chose to use the Church, you and I, to win souls for Christ.
We cannot escape this responsibility. Paul said, Necessity is laid upon me; woe unto me if I
do not preach the Gospel (1 Cor: 9:16).
Jesus gave his last commission to His disciples (the Church), saying Go ye into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Therefore Apostle Paul confessed,
I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise.
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also (Rom:
1:14, 15).

The task and privilege of making disciples is the highest vocation God has given to
His Church. Apostle Paul thanks God for this high calling, And I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1
Tim: 1:12). We are to declare the Gospel of Christ by our life and our lips. But it is sad that
there are nations and regions that have not yet heard the Gospel since the Great Commission.
Although the Church has failed in this regard, God will surely complete the task. There will
be people worshipping the Lord from every tongue and tribe in eternity. (Rev: 7:9, 10). Let us
get excited about this mission.
Unfortunately we see the disciples unprepared and with the wrong attitude.
(i)

They were indifferent and insensitive. Although they knew the people were
hungry and that night fall was near they said to Jesus, Send them away-

(ii)

They looked for shops to buy bread instead of looking to heaven for their
supply.

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(iii)

They struggled with mathematics instead of looking for a miracle by God. They
calculated that even 200 denariuss worth of bread will not be sufficient for all.

(iv)

Yes, they depended on their reasoning and did not have faith.

(v)

They complained that the time was bad. It is evening.

(vi)

They complained that the place was bad. Desert place.

This is the picture of many churches and believers today.

But the Lord did not scold them and instead, He gave them the opportunity to feed the
multitude. He decided to continue to use them as His instruments.
This is a beautiful picture of how God uses even the cold hearted, backsliding,
indifferent church (believers), and gives them a second chance for evangelism and church
planting. God could have avoided the disciples and chosen others for the great task of feeding
the people. But He did not. Jonah disobeyed God and fled from his mission. But God went
after him, caught him and sent him to Tarshish to preach the Gospel. Peter denied Jesus three
times but Jesus went after him in love and renewed the appointment to feed His sheep.
Beloved, God has called you to make disciples. Do not make excuses. Do not try to
escape your responsibility. If you have become insensitive or indifferent, please return to God
and receive His fresh commission and enablement to evangelize people who are living in sin
and are doomed to eternal darkness. You may have already wasted a few years with your
inaction but please do not be discouraged. Do not quit. Repent of your coldness. Dedicate
your life to declaring the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus specifically calls Philip and asks him, Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?
(John: 6:5). Philip was a local man and a native of Bethsaida. It is the responsibility of the
local (native) person of the region to feed the people of his region, of his tribe and his
language. This is a great opportunity for indigenous missions. We should not wait for
external support and foreign missionaries to evangelize our country and our people. We
should do it ourselves.
3: The Method Jesus Advocates for Evangelization: v. 39. He commanded them to make
all sit down by companies on the green grass.

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Evangelism must be done systematically. The crowd had to sit in companies and not in
confusion. They had to sit Row by Row, or Line by Line to ensure that no one was
forgotten or bypassed or neglected when the food was served. There is a temptation to serve
food only on the front lines neglecting the frontiers. Those in the front lines are in the lime
light, while those in the frontiers are not noticed and experience many dangers. Most people
like to be in the limelight of publicity, and physical comforts. God is asking us to Launch out
into the deep leaving our comfort zone. (Luke: 5:4.)
Go where the name of Jesus has never been heard. Rom: 15:20. Let us stop the
shoreline fishing and launch out to fish in the deep sea. There are thousands of shoreline
fishermen but very few who fish in the dangerous deep seas where the waves are high, the
winds are stormy, and clouds are heavy. Please be ready to risk your life for this kind of
fishing. Remember that there are more fish in the deep seas that will run into your nets. The
fish by the shore have become so clever and they rarely enter into any nets.
Friends, I am not discouraging you from your current missionary programs. I am only
pleading with you to lift up your eyes and look into the fields that are ripened, white and
ready for harvest. If God is not calling you for those fields, please pray for those places
asking the Lord to send labourers. Please raise support from the evangelized areas and
churches and start equipping pioneer missionaries and church planters in new regions.
There are 600 thousand villages in India. There is no Church witness in thousands of
these remote villages. There are 1652 languages and dialects in India and many languages
and dialects that have no Gospel literature or Gospel witness. There are people from different
tribes living on the mountains who live in fear of evil spirits and superstitions. They worship
the rocks, trees and anything they do not understand. They have no running water and no
electricity and live in the forests and some of them even practice human sacrifices. Some of
them sacrifice their baby girls to the river god (Ganges) to get a male son in the next
conception. Some of them torture their body, performing penances hoping to appease the
fearful god and get salvation. They believe in re-birth or transmigration and give alms to
the poor and go on pilgrimages to holy places in order to be cleansed of their sins and receive
a better birth in the next life. They live in darkness because no one has shared the good news
of salvation through Jesus Christ.

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Most of these people live in remote places or the back pews. The majority of
missionary efforts are focused in cities and towns with all their comforts and conveniences.
Those in the front pews are overfed while people in the back-pews remain hungry. Oswald
J.Smith, the Canadian preacher said, You have no right to hear the Gospel the second time,
when there are people in the world who did not hear it even one time. O Church, let us leave
our comfort zones and go to the most hostile and hard places to pull out tribes and languages
from eternal damnation.
Make them sit down in companies. Have we not kept them standing for the last 2000 years?
They are hungry and evening draws near. Judgment is coming and hell is at hand. O Church,
let us ask the nations to sit down and let us start serving them food for their hunger- the living
bread, Jesus Christ. He alone can satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst. The world waits
for you.
4: The Miracle Jesus performs in Evangelization. (Vv.41-42.)
They did all eat and were filled and they took up 12 baskets full5000 men...
The disciples did not have any bread with them. This is the gloomy picture of the Church
(Christians) who have no food to serve the needy and hungry people.
But the disciples saw a boy with some food and they said to Jesus, There is a lad here who
has five barley loaves and two small fishes. (John: 6:9).
When talented, equipped, trained, experienced people fail, God in His grace will raise lads
for the expansion of His Kingdom. Barley loaves were the cheapest bread in those days. The
two fish were small and some scholars interpret that they were two small pieces of fish.
This boy was from a very poor family and his parents could not afford to send him with food.
The disciples brought the boy to the Lord. Christian leaders, may you be instrumental in
introducing and raising young people for the task of evangelism. Look around you and
encourage the youth to dedicate their lives to the cause of Jesus Christ.
Scholars say that this lad probably was 13-15 years old. He would have been a hungry
teenager. Parents with growing teen age boys and girls know this truth. I am sure that this boy
was also very hungry but he was ready to part with his precious packed food. He gladly gave
what he brought to Jesus and Jesus took it in His hands; He blessed it and gave it to the

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disciples to distribute. Please visualize that scene of little becoming much in the hands of
Jesus. Behold the miracle of the multitude eating and being filled. Look at the scene of the
disciples carrying home twelve baskets full of leftovers for each of their families; little
became plenty in the hands of God. It became a scene of starvation to surpluses. This is
what Jesus can do when we hand over our very little in the hands of God.
Jesus is asking you today, What do you have? How much do you have? He is not
asking for what you do not have. He in fact knows the little you have. It is not much,
brother. But give it to Him. Do not worry about the things you do not have. Your education
may be not much. Your personality may not be impressive. Your talents may be almost
nothing. Your experience may be near Zero. You know that you cannot do much if that
remains in your hand and in your control. Just give it to God without any hesitation and God
will do a miracle. God does not look for your ability. He looks for your availability.

God will multiply that which you put in his hands and you will be full and
overflowing. Your cup will run over and through you multitudes will be blessed. Many will
be saved. Many will be edified. Unreached areas will be won for the Gospel. God will
perform a miracle when you give your all to Jesus.
In conclusion, let us imagine and visualize the return of the disciples and the lad to
their respective homes? How would each of them report these happening when they arrived
back home? I picture it like this:
The boy ran back to his home and excitedly said to his parents, Mom, I fed 5000
people today. In disbelief the parents scolded him for that blasphemy. Then he explained,
Mom, I was very hungry. I knew that the food packet of five barley bread and 2 small fish
would not fill my stomach. You know it was not much. But I felt sad when I saw that the
people were hungry and the disciples had no food to distribute. There was no store to buy
food and there was no money either. I was moved with compassion and I believed that Jesus
could do a miracle if I gave my all to Him. So I gave the barley loaves and two small fish to
Jesus. Then Jesus looked up to heaven, prayed and blessed what I gave him. A miracle took
place. There was bread and fish in abundance to fill many baskets. I believe there were nearly
fifteen thousand people including children and women and I saw all of them eating with great
joy and satisfaction. Mom, Dad, I am so glad that I had a part in feeding this multitude.

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Hearing this, his parents thanked God. They hugged their son and rejoiced that their son was
instrumental in feeding multitude of hungry people. O parents, dedicate your children for the
cause of Christ. Do not fear or object when the Lord calls them into His glorious service.
The mother in law of Peter was amazed when Peter came home with one full basket
on his head, full of barley loaves and fish. She asked, Peter, you went empty handed and did
not take any food with you. I was wondering and worried that you would be hungry. But how
is it that you could return home with this basket full of food? I imagine that Peter answered
excitedly, Mother, It was shameful for me to go empty handed. I could not provide food for
anybody, though Jesus expected me and the disciples to feed many people. But thank God,
there was one young boy with some food. He gave it to Jesus and Jesus blessed and
multiplied it. Then Jesus asked me and the other 11 disciples to carry the baskets of bread and
fish to five thousand men, and the women and children. I am glad Jesus gave me a chance to
serve food to the hungry. I ate as much as I could and I have brought this full basket for our
home. Peter and his family began to praise God for this miracle and thanked Him for the
privilege Jesus gave to Peter to be an instrument to feed the multitude.
Well, we can picture the reports made by the disciples in their homes when they
arrived with full baskets. Beloved, when you obey the call of God, when you get involved in
missions, when you surrender your little to the Lord, you can always expect miracles in the
mission fields.

D.L.Moody only completed 7th grade. He did not speak English well but he gave his
life to Jesus in total surrender. God used him mightily to shake two continents. He became a
world renowned evangelist, winning souls for Christ wherever he travelled. William booth
did not complete his high school education. He also gave his life to God and God used him to
save souls and to plant Salvation Army which is an organization that does tremendous service
for God and people all over the globe.
God can make your life a miracle. He can use you for the salvation of souls and for
the edification of the Church. You can be an instrument for the expansion of Gods Kingdom.
Therefore, my beloved in Christ, even though you may have wasted some years, even if you
were starving spiritually , please hand over yourself in the hands of God, and He will make
you a vessel according to His plan and will.

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Pray to God for a heart that bleeds for the souls of sinners. Pray that God will reveal
His plan for you. Be ready to obey whatever He asks of you and whatever it takes. Be
available to Him for home missions or foreign missions. Go witnessing and winning souls
wherever you go. If you cannot go to some places, please pray for those lands and please
support and send someone in your place. God can make your life a miracle in missions! Trust
Him. Obey Him.

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LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP.

(A Challenge for Pioneer Evangelism and Church Planting)

Jesus said to Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch... (Luke
5:4; cf. vv: 1-7).
The Church often continues to stay put and preach in already evangelized areas, when there
are thousands of places that have not had one opportunity to hear the Gospel. The Lord
desires us to launch out to the Virgin Fields that have not been exposed to the Gospel. Paul
exhorts us to go to places where the name of Jesus Christ has never been heard (Rom. 15:20).
He challenges Christians to preach the Gospel to the regions beyond (1 Cor. 10:16). The
Majority of missionaries volunteer to go to trouble-free places that are near cities and towns
with easy access to amenities and conveniences of life. It is said that 80% of our giving is
directed toward missionary efforts in already evangelized places.
God wants His Church to lift our eyes and look at far off lands and difficult places and carry
the Gospel to people who have not heard the name of Christ. Let me draw your attention to
four passages of scripture.
1: SHORELINE FISHING VS DEEP SEA FISHING (Luke 5:1-7).
Jesus called the disciples and said, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Matt.
4:19). Evangelism and soul winning is compared to fishing men for Christ.
There are two kinds of fishermen. There are those that practice Shoreline fishing versus
those who practice deep sea fishing. Let us look at the differences between the two.
Shoreline fishing: I have seen fishermen standing at the shore trying to catch fish with nets,
poles and hooks with very limited success. These fishermen did not want to go into the deep
sea and risk their lives to catch fish. I noticed that their catch was limited because of two
reasons:
(i) There were other fishermen trying to catch fish in the same area.
(ii) The fish swimming near the shore were clever and would not enter into any net.

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I also saw these fishermen in conflict with each other claiming jurisdiction for the same area,
saying, This is my area, do not fish here.
This is a clear example of the confusion and fruitlessness that prevails in most of our
evangelistic efforts. We go to locations that are already evangelized and send missionaries
where there are other missionaries already laboring for the Lord. This creates conflict and
competition in Christian Churches and Para- church organizations. Many souls may have
already been saved in these locations and the people have become unresponsive. The
remaining fish are very clever and choose not to enter into anyones net.

This truth should convince us to get involved in Deep Sea Fishing. I saw some
fishermen taking their boats and nets and going to the deeper parts of the sea at
Shankhumukham beach in Trivandrum. I asked them why they did not remain on shore and
fish. One of them replied, Here at the shore there are many fisher men and they quarrel with
each other. There is already a limited number of fish and the remaining fish do not enter into
our nets because they have become efficient at avoiding the nets. But we choose to go into
the deep sea aware of the dangers of high waves, strong wind and darkened sky with thick
clouds. We go because we know, there in the distant areas of the sea there are plenty of fish
to be caught. When we cast our nets, we feel that these fish are biting to come into our nets
in large numbers. Without doubt we will return with a big catch at the end of the day.
This fact crops up time and again in evangelism. Religious orthodox people in urban
areas have heard the gospel so many times and many of them are gospel hardened. In the
Indian context, most people in that environment are deeply rooted in their religions and are
hostile to Christian witness. The more rural areas, villages in remote places and tribes are
inhabited by people who are not strongly bound by any religion. Although they are labeled as
Hindus in the census, they are nature worshippers and they are known as animists. They
are open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If given an opportunity to hear the good news
of Jesus Christ, they will respond and believe in Christ. 38% of the population in India is
tribal and it is to these people that we must go.
We must give emphasis to those who are receptive now while not forgetting or
neglecting the orthodox religious people. Now is the time of harvest for those who are

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receptive and if we delay, it may be too late. One missiologyst wrote, Win the people when
they are winnable. If not they will become un-winnable.
One of the chief reasons for Christian persecution in India is the large number of
tribal conversion. The religious order in India is suspicious and mistrustful because of these
conversions largely due to fear that their numbers will decrease and the Christian population
will increase in India. But we should not be discouraged because of these attacks or slow
down the pace of our work. We need to leave our comforts and climb the mountains and live
in far-off areas to win valuable souls for Christ. Let us launch out into the deep. Let us risk
our lives. Let us win multitudes for our master.
2: FRONT PEW FEEDING vs. BACK PEW FEEDING (Mark 6:39).
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand teaches us the principle of carrying the bread
(gospel) to the back pews. To feed the multitude in an orderly fashion Jesus commanded the
disciples make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. Without some order and
organization, many people would not have received a piece of bread while those in the front
lines would have more than enough and would be overfed.

Front pew feeding is indicative of many of our evangelization programs today. We

send more missionaries and spend more money to geographically easy regions and to
culturally comfortable regions. We overlook the difficult regions and uncomfortable places.
More missionaries are ready and eager to go to socially cultured and economically strong
communities. We do not venture and expend our resources to the economically and socially
down-trodden people.
Over fed Christians have the time to argue on doctrinal issues that may not be
fundamental for salvation. They forget the fact that there are millions who have not had a
chance to hear the Gospel even once in their life. Do not misunderstand me, beloved. We
must not abandon or disregard sound doctrine. Nor complain about discipline programs.
What I mean is that many of us forget the most important mission by Jesus to the Church,
Go ye into all the world and make disciples of every nation. We must fight the good fight
of faith and contend for the faith that is fundamental for salvation. We should not waste our
money and time arguing about issues that are trivial.

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Millions are on their way to hell. Let us rise up and go to them and stop them from the
eternal lake of fire. They are the forgotten tribes. They are the neglected people. They live
in some of the almost inaccessible places. Think of mountaineers who leave all the comforts
of home and risk their lives to climb dangerous mountains for adventure or for fame. I heard
the story of an Indian woman who made an adventurous journey to Antarctica. Her name and
story was published in all the news papers and on television. I heard her speaking with great
excitement and satisfaction. I saw her face glowing in the exhilaration of the journey and
accomplishment
Beloved, the adventure you and I take to the back pews of the world to serve the
living bread will give us greater satisfaction here on earth and in eternity in the presence of
our Savior and Lord. Those precious souls we win for Christ would remain as monuments
and jewels in our crown for eternity. Let us not be content ministering to the front pews.
Let us go to the back pews of our beloved country and to regions beyond when the Lord calls
us to serve.
3: SOWING IN FERTILE SOIL vs. SOWING IN BARREN LAND (Matt. 13: 3-8).
Jesus talks about four kinds of soil- way side soil, stony soil, thorny soil and good soil
in the parable of the sower. It is true that as evangelists of the Gospel, we should not refuse to
sow the Gospel seed on any kind of soil.
However, if God presents us with the most receptive people and least receptive
people, to whom should we send more missionaries? Where should we spend more money?
Where should we go quickly? The answer is simple. We must go quickly and invest the
maximum to the receptive people, while praying to God to make the others also receptive in
His perfect timing.

This is what we have seen in the first point, win the people when they are winnable.
If we delay they will become un-winnable. Orthodox Hindus and Muslims may be very slow
in responding to the gospel. But the youths of today who are not orthodox in their religions
are open for the gospel. They remain in their religions just because they are born into that
religion and profess their religions just because of their parents and peers. If they hear the

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Gospel of Salvation, and are convinced, they will step out boldly and publicly stand for the
Lord.
We see a splendid example for this in the conversion story of the Samaritan woman.
The Jewish people did not respond to the invitation of Christ for their salvation. He came to
His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11). But in John Chapter 4, we read that
Jesus and his disciples were passing through Samaria. There we see the Samaritan woman
receiving Christ. Her life was transformed. In her great joy she left her water pot at the well
and ran to the city. She invited people to come and see the man who changed her life. Many
Samaritans responded and started coming to Jesus. They were ready to accept Jesus Christ as
their savior and Lord. Please visualize that scenario of hundreds of Samaritans coming as a
procession to Jesus for their salvation. Looking to that procession Jesus told the disciples in
verse 35 Do you not say , there are four months and then comes the harvest? Behold I say
to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!.
What did Jesus mean by this? He was telling them, It is true that the Jewish people in
Galilee and Judea do not welcome me. Their harvest season has not come. But lift up your
eyes and look at these Samaritans whom you call dogs. Look at those despised, low caste,
forgotten and rejected people. They are coming to me .They are responding to the Gospel.
This is their harvest time. It is to this kind of people we must go and witness.
Let us look at one example from India. The staunch Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims
are not receptive to the Gospel. But look at the tribal population, nearly 40 % of them living
in almost all states of India. They are animists. They are not bound by any orthodox religion.
Though they are listed as Hindus in census, they are nature worshippers. They are very
much open for the Gospel. When the gospel is preached to these animistic communities, often
large number of people boldly receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
It is the duty of every Church, every Indian Christian to carry the gospel to these
receptive people, who are despised and insulted by the higher castes. These are the Dalits
who turn to Christ and shine for the Lord, when we witness to them.
Let us ask the Lord for wisdom to discern and determine the kinds of soil on which
we need to sow seeds urgently. May God inspire and enable us to invest much and pour our
lives in those receptive hearts. Let us adopt a people group and seek to plant churches among
them. God will surely bless us to see a hundred fold harvests.

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4: CLAIM THE MOUNTAINS vs. EASY PLACES (Josh 14).

85 year old Caleb asked, . Give me the Mountain... Josh. 14:12 when the land of promise
was distributed, other tribes of Israel were asking for lands that were easily accessible and
easy to conquer and possess. But Caleb wanted the mount of Horeb that was occupied by the
Anakims. Although he was old and weak physically, with the glittering eyes of faith he
claimed the most difficult place. He was able to do this because of his boldness to testify, I
wholly followed the Lord my God (v: 8). and he was a man of conviction. When the
majority of spies had negative reports and discouraged the people of God, Caleb
courageously stood in faith and encouraged the people to go and posses the land of Canaan.
He was only 40 years old at that time. So for over 45 years he followed God without any
wavering. People with such testimonies can unquestionably claim the most difficult lands and
people for Christ.
We read of the oppression of Israel under the Canaanites for 20 years because of their
sin In Judges Ch. 4. God raised Deborah the prophetess to judge the people of Israel. Barak
was the commander of the army. Deborah and Barak called the tribes of Israel to wage war
against the strong enemy Sisera and his mighty army. But the stronger tribes did not
volunteer for the battle. Zebulon and Naphtali were the weaker and smaller tribes but they
were the tribes who volunteered for the great battle on the mountain. God gave them a great
victory. In Chapter five we read the song of Deborah, the song of victory over the enemy and
praises to God. In that song, Deborah recognized and sang about the faith, commitment and
sacrifices of Zebulon and Naphtali. God is not looking for our strength or abilities. He is
seeking men and women who will claim the mountains and the impossible places by faith.
In one of our Gospel crusades in Manipur, one alcoholic young man gave his life to
Christ. His life was transformed and he often accompanied me in future crusades and Bible
camps. In some of our prayer meetings I could hear him praying, Master, you have promised
me that you will make me a fisher of men. Yes, Lord, I do not want only small fish; help me
to catch big fish. In his sincere zeal and passion he had the faith to claim big fish.

32

Brethren, is there any mountain you need to claim now? May God show you that
mountain! May God give you the courage to claim that mountain and posses it. Are there
great sinners you are praying for? Look at the great savior and claim that soul for Christ.
Is there any difficult region or people that God is showing you to go and possess? Obey His
call and venture in faith. Do not look at your lack of experience or past failures or your age or
infirmities. Look to your commander in chief, the captain of our salvation- Jesus Christ. Join
Him in the battle and go in faith. Victory is sure. If God has blessed you with material
resources, use those gifts to train, support and send missionaries to places and people that
have not heard the name of Christ.

You have no right to exist if you are not involved in evangelism and soul winning.
God expects all of his children to be His witnesses. You have no excuse. Do not stand and
fish at the shore. Obey God and launch out into the deep. Do not be stuck serving only at the
front pew and its lime light. Go to the back pews where people are hungry for the bread of
life. Seek the fertile fields- the receptive people. Do not seek easy places. Claim the
impossible places for the Lord.

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LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN

Let us read from the NIV Bible Luke 16:1-14. Now let us give attention to verse 9 in
NKJV where Jesus said, And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous
mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. Mammon is
'Money' and everlasting home refers to heaven.
The meaning of this verse is clear, A child of God should invest his money and
wealth to win souls for heaven.
Jesus said that one soul is much more precious than the whole world. He shed his
precious blood to redeem sinners. Based on these two facts, we can safely conclude that
investing in evangelism and soul winning gives the highest return.
If this is the correct meaning of the verse there are a few questions that would come to
our minds. Are we expected to use carnal weapons to evangelize and win souls for Christ?
What about those who have no money? Is it not selfishness to give our money expecting
some reward?
To get the answers to these questions and to further study the biblical principles of
investing for the highest return let us now read a few more verses as a launching pad for
this message.
The words in Mathew 6: 19, 20 are known as the Treasure Principle and it reads,
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal. But lay up for you treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
In Mathew 19:29 Jesus promises a 100% return (interest) for every investment we
make for heaven, And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or
mother or wife or children or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and
inherit eternal life.
Jesus assured us greater, higher and overflowing return for what we give. Luke 6:38,
Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running
over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured
back to you.

34

Our Lord also declared that every small contribution to the Lord and His servants will
be rewarded. This is made clear in the NIV version of Mathew 10:42 where Jesus said, And
if anyone gives even a cup of water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell
you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.
Beloved, God has a book of remembrance (Mal.3:16).He records all our works,
sacrifices and giving. When He returns to take us Home, at the judgment seat of Christ, we
will be rewarded hundredfold for eternity. Although our investment may be small and bound
by the years we have on this earth our overflowing dividend is beyond our imagination and
comprehension!
Therefore beloved, sit down, make an estimate of a reasonable amount of the money
you require for you and your family to live on. Then make a firm determination to invest the
rest of the money and wealth for God and His Kingdom. This is the central appeal of my
message.
Fifteen per cent of the teachings of Jesus relate to the topic of money and wealth. So
let us look into the scriptures to see what God says about our finances.
MANS ATTITUDE TOWARDS MONEY AND RICHES.
Jesus shared the parable of one 'rich fool' in Luke 12: 14-21. This parable clearly
reveals the greed of the natural man. The rich fool in his greed was hoarding his wealth with
no thought of his eternal life. The ground of a certain rich man produced good crop. He
thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops'. Then he said, 'This is
what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. And will say to me, You
have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.
But God said to him, You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then
who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
Storing up earthly treasures isn't simply wrong. It is simply stupid wrote Randy
Alcorn in his best-seller book ' The treasure principle'. Let me expand on this thought a little
further:
Someone has said, Man is born into this world with clenched fist and he dies and
leaves this world with a clenched fist. Man is born with desire to grab and he dies with that

35

desire and the clenched fist is indicative of mans attitude towards money and wealth. The
action of giving requires an open hand which is not the natural attitude of the world.
Therefore the Lord gave this warning in Luke 12:15 Watch out! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
There are testimonies of some of the richest people of this world confessing that wealth and
riches could not give them peace, satisfaction and joy.
John D. Rockefeller said, I have made many millions, but they have brought me no
happiness.
Henry Ford said, I was happier when I was doing a mechanics job.
Millionaire Andrew Carnegie confessed, Millionaires seldom smile.
John Jacob Astor said, I am the most miserable man on earth.
W.H. Vanderbilt said, The care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone.
King Solomon, the wisest and the richest man on earth confessed some great truths about the
foolishness of accumulating riches. He said, Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from
them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure...Then I looked on all the works that my
hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and
grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun (Eccl. 2:10, 11).
Randy Alcorn has paraphrased the NIV reading of Eccl. 5:10-15 giving a truthful scenario
about striving for money and storing up wealth:

Whoever loves money never has money enough (v.10)=The more you have the

more you want.

Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income (v.10)= The more you have

the less you are satisfied.

As goods increase so do those who consume them (v11) = The more you have, the

more people (including the government) will come after it.

And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them (v.11) =the

more you have, the more you realize it does you no good.

36

The sleep of a labourer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of

a rich man permits him no sleep (v.12) = the more you have, the more you have to worry
about.

I have seen grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner.

(v.13) =the more you have, the more you can hurt yourself by holding on to it.

Or wealth lost through misfortune (v.14) = the more you have the more you have to

lose.

Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He

makes nothing from his labour that he can carry in his hand (v15) =the more you have, the
more you will leave behind.
There is a PBS television program called Affluenza. This program addresses the modern-day
plague of materialism. This show reveals the truth that numerous conflicts and wars in the
world are because of money, wealth, lands and riches. This show also uncovers the fact that
the highest percentages of divorces take place because of money. The desire for and
obsession with money and wealth have also led to the increase in illegal activities.
Affluenza is the disease. What is the cure? Materialism is the poison. What is the antidote?
Apostle Paul offers the answer in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 , Command those who are rich in this
present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to
put their hope in God, who richly provides us with every good thing for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age,
so that they may take hold of the life that is truly a life.
FAITH AND FINANCE ARE INSEPARABLE
(1) A person obsessed with earthly treasures cannot be saved. In Mathew 19: 16-26, we read
the story of a rich man who came to Jesus with a desire for salvation. He was a moral and
religious person who fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Law. The Lord told him, Go,
sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come
and follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great
wealth. He was unwilling to dethrone his idol, wealth. Following Christ requires faith in the

37

unseen future. Our attitude to money has to change and this can be done by the powerful
work of the Word of God and the Spirit of God in the heart of man. This change needs a
miracle from God. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (v.26)

(2) A person's conversion is manifested by a change of attitude towards finance.

Zacchaeuss conversion story is recorded in Luke 19: 1-9. He was a tax collector who gained
wealth by unfair means and extortion. His life changed following his encounter with Jesus.
When Jesus came to his house, Zacchaeus stood up and said, Lord, Lord! Here and now I
give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will
pay back four times the amount (v.8). Zacchaeus dethroned his idol. Jesus Christ became his
LORD! His heart was transformed to be obedient to Jesus and he proved his faith by
works. Then Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house... (v.9a).

In Acts 2: 45 and 4: 32-35 we read about the early Christians, Jerusalem converts who

sold their possessions and helped the needy people in the Church.

Acts 19: 19 records the conversion of the Ephesian occultists. They immediately

brought their occult books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver (50000 drachmas/ millions of
dollars) and burned them in public.

In Luke chapter 3 three groups of people come to John the Baptist and ask him to

describe the fruit of spiritual transformation. John gave them three responses , as clear
manifestation of true repentance :i. Everyone should share clothes and food with the poor (v.11).
ii. Tax collectors shouldn't pocket extra money (v.13).
iii. Soldiers should be content with their wages and not intimidate and extort money (v.14).
A well-known soldier John Houston often put half of his salary in the offering box. His friend
asked him, Why do you do this? Mr Houston replied, When I was baptized my wallet also
got baptized!
Your hearts revival is manifested in the manner you handle your wallet and your giving. The
standard of spirituality can be measured by the standard of giving.

38

It is shocking to see professing Christians treasure their money. They do not share their
resources to the needy and set great store by the amount of wealth they accumulate. They do
not give to the Lord the portion that belongs to God. It is reported that less than 1% of the
Christians know of and practice Grace Giving in the United States. Only 2% of the
Christian population tithe. So is it not justifiable that their salvation is doubted by the world?
INVEST WITH YOUR EYES ON ETERNITY.

(1) God owns everything. I am His money manager.

God said, Everything under heaven belongs to me (Job. 41:11).

The Psalmist David said, The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who
live in it (Psalm. 24:1).
The silver is mine and the gold is mine declares the Lord almighty (Haggai 2.8).
There are those who claim ownership of money and wealth and boast that they have
earned the riches by their ability and hard work. To this foolish thought the Holy Bible has a
very clear rebuke in Deut. 8:18 Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the
ability to produce wealth...
Apostle Paul asked a direct question to the Corinthian Christians, For who makes
you different from anyone else? What do you have that you do not receive? And if you did
receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Cor. 4:7).
When you realize and accept the fact that God is the owner of everything and you are
only a manager (steward), you will have peace of mind even when you face an unexpected
calamity like flood, fire, earthquake, wars and conflicts cause you great material loss.
A distraught man rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, Mr Wesley, something
terrible happened! Your house burned to the ground! Wesley weighed the news, and then
calmly replied, No. The Lord's house burned to the ground which means one less
responsibility for me.
Let me add my personal testimony. The Lord allowed me to raise support and to
establish a Bible College, Schools and Orphanages. Few years ago two people manipulated
and orchestrated things to convert these properties in their names. I was deeply hurt and

39

angry for a period of time. The Lord revealed to me this basic truth, God is the owner and I
am only a manager and it was then that my disappointments disappeared and I accepted the
fact that I have less responsibility.
I had an extensive personal library. Someone broke into my home and office twice in
my absence and stole many valuables including my precious books. John Mc Arthur's
commentary series were so valuable to me but I lost them in that break-in. I was heart-broken
and upset. I thought of filing legal proceedings against the culprit who was known to me but
the Lord withheld my hands from that. He reminded me that God is the owner of your
books. You were only a manager. God can give you whatever books you require for
ministry.
The realization that God is the owner and you are the manager will give you
prevailing peace in your heart, whether you possess little or much. This is true about your
job, position, ministry, talents or properties.
This realization will also enable you to give freely and joyfully, as the Lord 'purposes
in your heart' because He is the sole owner of all that you have.

(2) Our Managership is Temporary.

Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendour of his house increases; for
he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendour will not descend with him( Psalm
49: 16& 17).
It leaves us when we live or we leave it when we die.
So, Storing up wealth is not simply wrong, it is stupid.
John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest men who ever lived. After his death someone
asked his accountant, How much money did John Rockefeller leave? The reply was classic,
He left...all of it.
It is not that money and wealth might be lost but it is a certainty that we will lose
money. The Bible says we are aliens and pilgrims in this world (Heb. 11:13). We are
Ambassadors on earth representing our true country (2 Cor. 5:20). Our citizenship is in
heaven (Phil.3:20) and we are citizens of a better country- a heavenly one (Heb.11:6).

40

Therefore a wise child of God will try to live on the minimum possible and invest the rest for
his home in heaven.
Many Christians live with an illusion that this world is their permanent home and are
afraid to leave it behind. Just as the compass needle follows north, their hearts follow their
earthly treasure. They orbit around money and riches and although they believe that they
control their riches sadly the riches controls them.
Consider that your home is in India and you visit Nepal for one month, living in a
hotel. Would you fill your hotel room with expensive furniture and wall hangings? Of course
not! You would send your money to your home in India.
It is a good idea to have a family visit to a city's junk yard. You will see lots of cars,
gadgets, furniture, fishing boats, hunting equipment, entertainment tools and thousands of
other items that were so valuable and dear to the owners for a period of time. They have all
now been relegated to the junk yard.
Five minutes after your death you will know that everything you 'saved' is at the junk
yard. In those moments you will understand that you should have sent them to heaven as
your eternal treasure.
You can't take it with you- But you can send it on ahead.
Your life on earth is like a dot. It begins. It ends. It is brief. Your life in heaven is like a
straight line. It begins but has no end. It is eternal.
0--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->->->
The DOT-Life on earth.

The Line-Life in heaven

Live for the Line and not for the DOT. Giving is living for the line.
John Wesley was touring a vast estate with a proud plantation owner. After riding for
hours on their horses, they could only see a fraction of the man's property. At dinner that
evening, the plantation owner eagerly asked John Wesley, Well, Mr Wesley, what do you
think? Wesley replied, I think you are going to have a hard time leaving all this.
My heart always goes where I put money.

41

If I invest money in the stock market, I think of the rise and fall of the stock market'
and live in anxiety.
If I invest money in business, I get nightmares of an economic downturn and I live in
uncertainty.
If I invest money in the mission field, I think of missionaries and pray for them.
If I invest money for the cause of heaven, I think of my treasure in heaven and rejoice.
Therefore, I must try to live a simple life and invest all that I can for heaven as my eternal
treasure.
INVEST FOR HEAVEN WITH ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST.
Jesus Christ is my financial advisor. He shared with me the safest and most rewarding
financial investment which is to Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Mathew 6:20).
With the small sacrificial giving I make toward the extension of Gods Kingdom I am
storing up great treasure for myself in Heaven. What is this treasure in heaven? It includes
power (Luke 19:15-19), possessions (Matthew 19:21) and pleasures (Psalm 16:11). Jesus
promises a hundred times as much in heaven. That is 10000 per cent an impressive
return. Of course Jesus is our first and foremost treasure (Phil. 3:7-11). But in His Grace He
gives you and me other treasures too.
Moses left Egypt and suffered with God's people looking for this treasure in heaven
(Heb.11:23-28).
As Paul appreciated the sacrificial giving of the Philippian Church he reminded them,
Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account
(Phil. 4:17).
John Wesley said, I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.
C.T. Studd said, Only one life, it will soon be past; only what is done for Christ will last.
Jim Elliot said, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Therefore your prayer to God must be, God, prosper me not to raise my standard of living;
but to raise my standard of giving.

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My sincere prayer for years had been, God help me to determine a reasonable amount for
me and my wife to live on. Help me to live a simple life. Enable me to spend all the rest for
heaven. Save me from the temptation of hoarding. Protect me from the shopping spree. Show
me what I need. Kill my desire for 'wants' in my life. Help me to give liberally, joyfully,
sacrificially, purposefully and beyond my ability. The Grace giving of the Macedonian
Christians is a great example and challenge for me. I know that I have to provide the basic
needs of my family (1 Tim. 5:8). All the rest I must give to the work of the Lord. All I have
belongs to Him, so I must tell Him, God, help me. I place all before you. All of it.
Finally, let me answer some of the questions we face whenever we consider giving to
God. It is impossible to give elaborate explanations in one sermon. Each of these questions
requires separate studies. But for the moment let me provide some biblical hints only:
(1)

Should I Tithe? Or how much should I give?

Tithe is not a New Testament command. However, some people argue that tithing can

be the starting point for the Grace Giving that God expects from us. In the Old Testament
there were three kinds of tithes. There were other free will offerings outside of these tithes. A
Hebrew person gave to God 25% to 33% of his income. Would not God expect a person
under grace to give much more than that? I have talked to several saints of God on this
subject. Many of them said to me that they did use 'tithing' as a 'jump start, a starting point
for giving and the Lord guided them to give liberally and without calculation in later days.
Tithe is not the ceiling, it is the floor they say. I am not convinced by that argument though
it sounds logical.
When a child of Gods life is fully surrendered to the Lord, he will give freely,
generously, joyfully and purposefully. He does not have to be motivated by a jump start.
Bible preachers and teachers should not use unbiblical arguments to promote Christian
giving. God does not need our wisdom to do His work.
Should I give financial help for charity works and the poor and needy?
OBEDIENCE TO THE GREAT COMMISSION should be the top priority of a child of God.
The commission says, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (Matt.28:19). A
Christian must aim to invest all he can to spread the gospel to every tongue and tribe on earth.

43

The church must seek to win souls and plant churches in the areas where there is none.
Pioneer evangelism and church planting should be the prime goal of a Christian.
OBEDIENCE TO THE GREAT COMMAND is also the responsibility of a child of God.
The great command says, Love your neighbour as yourself(Luke 10:27). Who is a
neighbour and how we should love him? Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. One
man was lying half dead by the road side after being robbed and beaten. The Good Samaritan
saw him in his physical need and nursed the mans wounds, fed him and took care of him.
Jesus Christ preached the gospel of salvation. He also fed the hungry and healed the sick. The
mission of Jesus was to meet the total needs of people- body, mind and spirit. This is the
mission of Christ. This should be the mission of the church. Evangelism and social action are
like two wings of a bird.
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered
(Proverbs 21:13).
God instructs His people to render justice to the oppressed, food to the hungry, clothes
to the naked and shelter to the wanderer in Isaiah 58:6-11. He has promised prosperity,
fruitfulness, protection and peace to those who obey these commands.
In Jeremiah 22:16 we read what God said about King Josiah, He did what was right
and just. So all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all
went well. Then God asks a question, Is that not what it means to know me? The answer
is simple- Gods children must care for the poor and needy. That is what exactly James
writes in his epistle chapter 1 verse 27, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.
A Christian ought to be involved in charity and benevolent services if he has the
ability and resources. The early Church was deeply involved in supplying the needs of less
fortunate brothers and sisters. Acts 6: 1-6 charges us to care for the widows. Acts 2:41, 42 &
4:34-36 talks about the richer Christians supporting the poor Christians.

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(2)

Should I not leave some family inheritance to my children?

Let me ask you a counter question, What would the owner think if you take away his

property and give it to your children? You must believe God who gave you resources will
also give resources to your children. That will happen, if your children are trained in the
things of the Lord and trust God. Leaving large estates to your children could become a
burden and a trap for them. You are holding back their growth in the school of faith and their
trust in the Lord.
(3)

Shall I give a portion of it? Shall I give at a later time?

Waiting to give is to rob God for some more years! The Bible says, Whatever your

hands funded to do, quickly do. Because a time is coming when you are not able to do it
(Eccl.9:10). An Uncle of mine had a large estate and lots of money but he lived as a miser. He
distributed all his wealth to his children in his sixties and as he got older, the Lord touched his
heart and spoke to him about giving. It was then that my uncle said to me, Son, I want to
give but I have no more voice or authority. Everything is in my children's hands. I have
wasted my time. I have failed the Lord in my stewardship.
(4)

How can I give beyond my ability?

If the Lord inspires you, challenges you and motivates you to pledge in your heart an

amount of money that is beyond your income you must trust the Lord to increase your
income. God will fulfil the desire that He puts in your heart. So you can pray, Dear God,
increase my income, and not raise the standard of my living but to raise the standard of my
giving. God will honour that desire and prayer because that is a sanctified desire. It is not a
sin to pray for material prosperity (3rd John verse 2).
(5)

Why did God bless me with riches more than others?

The story of Queen Esther provides us with the answer to this question. Esther was an

orphan whom God raised to be the queen. She was in a position of power and influence and
had access to the king. Her people, the Hebrew people, were in danger of annihilation
because of the plot of Haman. Esthers uncle Mordecai pointed out, And who knows but that
you have come to royal position for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?

45

The first century Christians who owned properties shared their riches with the poorer
Christians. Barnabas is a good example of this type of giving. I read a very thought provoking
and convicting verse in the writings of Apostle Paul, At the present time your plenty will
supply what they need, so that in their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be
equality(2 Cor. 9:14). Paul continued to write in 9:11, You will be made rich in every way
so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in
thanksgiving to God. This is 'Grace giving'. This giving is motivated by the 'Grace Giving'
of God, stated in 2 Cor. 8:9 , For you know the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich , yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might
become rich.
Beloved in Christ, let us decide this day to start investing for heaven, more than ever.
Giving is true worship. Every time we give our best let us shout Hallelujah and exclaim in
great excitement, Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Cor.9:15).
Let me conclude by asking you a direct question:Are you making your investment wisely? Will you invest for the highest return?

46

MIDNIGHT ADVOCATE
Let us read the parable told by Jesus Christ in Luke 11: 5-8.
Then Jesus said to the disciples, Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at
midnight and says, Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a
journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. Then the one inside answers,
Dont bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I cant get
up and give you anything. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him bread because
he is his friend, yet because of the mans boldness he will get up and give him as much as he
needs. (NIV)
In the KJV & Max Lucado versions,verse 8b reads, yet because of his persistence he will
rise and give him as many as he needs.
Brothers and sisters, these verses should be studied in detail in the context of the model
prayer to absorb the fuller meaning. I would like to highlighta few points in regards to
evangelisation and church planting.
In this text we see three people:(1) THE MIDNIGHT GUEST. A friend of mine on a journey has come to me. He is a
traveller who comes to the house of his friend in the middle of the night. He was
hungry and needed bread to eat. This is the picture of pioneer missionaries who work
hard to carry the Gospel and plant churches in the regions beyond where people live
in midnight darkness of sin, superstition and false religions. This man represents
hundreds of national church planters in poorer countries around the world. These
missionaries are in need of supplies for the work of evangelisation, discipleship and
church planting.

(2) THE MIDNIGHT HOST. This is the man who has no bread to provide to the
hungry guest. This man represents the mission leaders and mission groups that God
has raised to meet the needs of faithful missionaries. The missionaries need Gospel
tracts for the sinners,they need Bibles for the new believers and bi-cycles and scooters
for their travels. They have to construct places of worship and purchase lands for
cemeteries for the new believers in their countries. They are the ambassadors of

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Heaven. They are the servants of the most high. At the same time they live in humble
huts made of grass and bamboos with leaky roofs. They are the warriors battling for
Gods Kingdom yet unable to provide some of the basic needs of their families.They
come to the mission leaders and ask for help. The mission leaders are helpless and do
not have the resources to give to the midnight guest. This is the heart-rending
situation of many missionaries in many lands.
(3) THE MIDNIGHT SLEEPER. This is the friend of the midnight host and he has
enough bread and many other resources. God has blessed him in abundance. This man
couldeffortlessly help his friend and provide for all the needsof the mission field and
the midnight guest. However he is in his bed asleep with his family. He is
unconscious of the great need in the field. He is in his comfort zone and is not ready
to leave the secure warmth of the house and help the friend who is in need of his help

This indifferent and comfort loving man is the image of the lukewarm, lazy church
that does not have a burden for evangelism or passion for souls.Many of the churches
around the world operate in this lukewarm, comfortable, and secure state. They are
content with the Salvation they enjoy and are quite at peace with themselves and with
the Biblical worship they practice each Sunday. Althoughthey have received more
material blessings and prosperity than others, they forget the fact that God gave them
these resources to evangelize the world and help the needy.
Then

we

see

here

the

midnight

host

becomes

theMIDNIGHT

ADVOCATE.Although the rich man was a friend of the midnight host, that
friendship did not motivate the rich man to meet the needs of the midnight guest.
The midnight advocate began to plead and persisted in his request. He pleaded boldly
and without embarrassment because he made the request not for himself but for
another who was in great need.

Because of this persistence, the man got up from his warm and comfortable bed and
supplied the bread. He gave as much as his friend needed since he had the ability to
do that. God has blessed Him.

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Beloved brothers and sisters, as I have mentioned in the introduction to this book, one
specific ministry the Lord entrusted with is to be a Midnight Advocate.In my
missionary journeys in different states of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and
other places, I meet faithful missionaries who suffer greatly and are in need. Let me
briefly share some of my experiences as a Midnight Advocate

PLEASE SEND A MISSIONARY TO US:

Rajapalem is a large Dalit village in Cuddappah District of Andhra Pradesh. In 1981
the Lord led me there to preach the gospel of salvation. More than 100 valued souls
professed faith in Christ and were baptized. As I said my good-byes to leave the
placethe new believers pleaded with me, Can you send one Bible Teacher to come
and live among us and teach us the Word of God? I had to reply that I was unable to
do so because of the lack of financial resources to support a missionary family.
Brethren, I can never forget the tears in their eyesand heart-broken faces as they heard
my response. I left themwith a heavy heart.

PLEASE GIVE US BIBLES.

Please give us 200 Telugu Bibles pleaded the newly saved Nepali people of
ManipurStateas I departedfollowing a Bible camp in the town of Imphal. When I said
that I could not provide the Bibles, their faces fell and a thick silence fell upon all of
us. My heart was breaking. I contacted a good friend of mine in Norfolk, Virginia, Mr
Bill Overton for this urgent need. The Lord touched his heart. Brother Bill sent the
funds required for the purchase of the Nepali Bibles. My friend was more than ready
to come out of his comfort zone and provide our needs in that midnight hour. This
generosity must have brought sweet fragrance to the Lord. I remember this incident
often with thanksgiving to God.

THEY HAD TEARS BUT NO ACTION.

Few years ago one of my friends took me to Lutz, Florida in USA. I stayed overnight
in the palatial house of a wealthy real estate developer. The couple were born again
Christians. Those were the days I was advocating for the suffering missionaries, Bible
students and orphans in India. At the request of this wealthy couple I passionately
shared with them about the harvest of souls in India and the urgent and desperate

49

needs of the servants of God. I saw tears flowing from the eyes of the husband and
wife. Their hearts were touched and I thought that they would be moved to action. To
my surprise, they did not give even a penny for the needs I shared with them. They
were emotional but had no commitment. They had tears but no follow up.
The experience brought to my mind the Bible verse in Psalm 78:9, The men of
Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back in the day of battle. They were fully
trained and equipped for the battle but they did not go forward for the battle against
the enemies.
I was also reminded of Nehemiah 3:5b where it reads, Next to them the Tekoites
made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of the
Lord.Nehemiah was building the wall of Jerusalem. He received help from many
people in the repair of the gates of Jerusalem but the noblemen did not render any
help towards the work of the Lord, although they were able.

GYM MONEY FOR A PIONEER CHURCH PLANTER.

Arogya Swamy is one of our dynamic mission leader and a pioneer church planter in
Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. He is a Roman Catholic convertand was
excommunicated from the Catholic Community because of his obedience to the Lord
in baptism.Arogya stepped out in faith.

He left his job as a teacher in a

RomanCatholicCollege to become a full time pioneer missionary to the Lambadi and

Dalit communities. He received no salary from anyone nor did hereceive any
promises of support from anywhere. Life was challenging for him and his family with
three children.

In those days (1983) I had a good friend in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, Pastor Wayne
Mac Craw. I shared the story of Brother Arogya Swamy to my friend Wayne and his
heart was moved. Brother Wayne was spending sixty dollars each month in the gym
but when the Lord touched his heart, Brother Wayne left his gym membership and
decided to contribute that money for the support of Arogya Swamy. We now have
more than 25 local churches in Andhra Pradesh as a result of Pastor Waynes

50

investment. Pastor Waynegave his attention to my midnight advocacy and decided

to open his door and supply the needs.

100 YEAR OLD PASTOR GETS HIS FIRST BIBLE.

In 1984 I made a brief visit to the United Stateswith the great burden to print the Bible
in VAIPHEI, one of the dialects in the North East India. The Gospel came to this tribe
in 1910 through western missionaries. Their first convert LUNGPAU was still alive
in 1984. He was 100 years old when I met him in 1984. The Vaiphei tribe had the
New Testament in their dialect but did not have the whole bible. When I met the dear
man of God LUNGPAU he looked me in the eyes and pleaded with me, Please get
the whole bible printed in our language. I want to die after I see a copy of the Holy
Bible.
I went to UK and spoke with the Trinitarian Bible Society. They agreed to print the
Bible for only 1/3 of the total cost. The need was $1000.00.

While in Mansfield, Louisiana the Lord allowed my path to cross with Mr Remer
Calhoun. He was a man who loved the Lord and he was blessed by the Lord with
some financial resources. When I shared the need for the Bible and the story of Pastor
LUNGPAU, Brother Calhoun provided the funds required for the printing of the
Bible.

We successfully printed the Bible and in February 1985, there was a

conference of the VAIPHEI people in Manipur State. 4000 people gathered. In that
gathering I was able to hand over the first copy of the holy Bible, beautiful leather
bound, to Pastor LUNGPAU. This dear man of God held the Bible close to his bosom
and wept like a child and he said, Now I can go in peace to my Home. I have seen
the Holy Bible in my language. Two years later Pastor Lungpau died and went to his
HOME .He was 104.
I thank my God for allowing me to be a Midnight Advocate for the Vaiphei people.
These kinds of incidents keep me inspired and energized to speak on behalf of
Christian Missions and Pioneer missionaries.

Beloved, God is calling you to come out of your comfort zone and be involved in the
service of the Lord. He wants you to use your material blessings for the expansion of

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Gods kingdom on earth. Why did God bless you with more money than others? Why
did God give you a better job than others? Why did God give you a higher position
and influence than others around you? God has given you these with a specific
purpose:
Let us read the answer in 2 Cor.9:11-13 in the NIV Bible, You will be made rich in
every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service you perform is not only
supplying the needs of Gods people but is also overflowing in many expressions of
thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will
praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of
Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with every one else.

God has prospered you more than others so that you can be generous in supplying the
needs of others who are less fortunate than you. When you are generous in your
giving, God considers it as an obedience of the confession of your faith in the Gospel
of Christ.

This act of generosity is patterned after the generosity of God in giving His Son for
our redemption. For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He
was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might
become rich. (2 Cor. 8:9) Paul saysthis generosity is thanksgiving to God. (9:11,
12).

The early Church understood this truth.They shared everything they had in this way
all in the family of God got equality. (Acts2:44, 45; 4:32)... No onein the Church
suffered with any unmet needs

The man sleeping in the midnight on a comfortable bed had enough bread for himself
and had extra to share. But he was hesitant to get up and contribute. This is the sorry
condition of many evangelical churches. God has called me to go to these Churches
and plead for the needs of pioneer missionaries. I thank God because He called me to
be a Midnight Advocate.

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Brethren, it is midnight for the world of sinners. Midnight is the time when all kinds
of evil deeds and wickedness occur. Those of us who observe signs of the times know
so well that the world is in the darkest hour. People are groping in the darkness. They
do not know where to go for their salvation and security.

Unfortunately, the Church of Jesus Christ has become comfort loving, easy going, and
lukewarm people living un-aware of the perishing millions in darkness. Midnight is
the best time to sleep and many churches are in a slumber. The saints are asleep in
their churches.
Therefore, once again I plead with you, the saints of the Lord, Please stir up from
your sleep. Share your resources generously to the Lords faithful warriors in the front
line of the battle. Please begin to advocate for the missionaries that are in frontier
evangelism and in great suffering.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

God raised the orphan girl Esther to become the queen in the palace of Shushan.
Haman plotted to destroy her people, the Jews and king signed the verdict and
approved it. Esthers cousin Mordecai sent a strong message to Esther and asked her
to come out of her comfort zone and use her influence to save the people of God. But
she hesitated because her life would be in great danger. Then we see Mordecai
persisting in his advocacy for the people of God, Yet who knows whether you have
come to the kingdom for such a time as this. (Esther 4: 14b)

Dear saints of God, please remember that your money, your job, your riches and
influence are given to you by God with a purpose. That purpose is to be generous
with your resources, talents, gifts and everything you have been given for the
promotion of the Gospel, for the support of the servants of God , for the expansion of
the Kingdom of God on earth.
Step out from your comfort zone. Be a Midnight Advocate for the Lords servants.

53

MISSIONARY CALL FROM FOUR PLACES.

(Challenge for Missions)

A born again Christian has no escape from the responsibility of sharing the good news of
salvation to sinners. He has no logical reason to exist in the world if he does not get involved
in evangelism. Gods purpose in saving and keeping us alive in this world is primarily to
worship Him and then to be His witnesses. Know Him and make Him known to others is
the holy responsibility of a true Christian. It is sad that majority of the professing Christians
do not witness to others the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this brief message let me share with you four calls for missions from which we have no
excuse to escape.
1: Missionary Call comes from ABOVE:
Whom shall I send? Who will go for us (Isaiah 6:8)? This is the call from God. This is a high
calling. This is a heavenly calling. This is a holy calling. Jesus took the disciples to the Mount
of Olives just before His ascension and He gave them the last commission, Go ye into the
entire world and make disciples of every nation... (Matt. 28: 18-20). This is a glorious call
because the call comes from God, the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This is glorious call
because the gospel we preach will turn sinners to saints. It will transport hell -bound sinners
to heaven bound soldiers. This gospel transfers people under judgment to new creation in
Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). There is no vocation higher or greater than this. In John 20:21 Jesus said
to the disciples, As the Father has sent me, I also send you. This command is not optional.
This is compulsory for every Christian. But it is sad that we have left this important job only
to the so called clergy or ordained ministers. The Love of God Calls. Heaven Calls. So send
I you as the father has sent me... Jesus said. We are commissioned by our God to live in this
world as Ambassadors for God and His Kingdom (2 Cor. 5: 18-20). Apostle Paul was proud of
this heavenly call from God and he said, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me,
because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Tim. 1:12.).

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2: Missionary Call comes from BELOW- From Hell.

In the story of Rich man and Lazarus, we read of the rich man in hell pleading to Abraham to
send missionaries to his brothers on earth! He pleaded to Abraham to send Lazarus to his
home on earth to witness to his brothers and stop them from heading to hell. Luke 16:227 &
28 reads, I beg you therefore, father (Abraham), that you would send him (Lazarus) to my
fathers house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to
this place of torment.

Souls that are in the torments of hell are continuously pleading to God for sending
missionaries to their loved ones living in sin on earth. That is right, brother, the missionary
calls come from all those sinners that are in the bottomless pit of eternal darkness. They
cannot get out of the hell and come to witness. So they are pleading to send missionaries to
those who are living in the darkness of sin and fetters of Satan. This is a sobering and
solemn thought. Sinners living and suffering eternally in hell are crying to you and me to be
missionaries to those who are in the world. They are requesting you and me, Please do not
allow the sinners to come to this horrible place. This is unbearable. Please tell them about
Jesus. Please stop them from falling into the lake of fire.
3: Missionary Call comes from WITH IN:
The conscience of every born again Christian reminds him and compels him to be a
missionary. Jeremiah the prophet thought of keeping silence without sharing the word of
God. He thought of quitting. But he could not remain in silence because, His word was in
my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back and I could
not (Jer. 20:9). Though he wanted to stop witnessing because of the oppositions and trials
he faced from the hearers, the voice with in (the conscience/ the inner conviction) did not
permit him to be silent. Jeremiah looked for an excuse to escape from witnessing. But he
could find none. He faithfully preached the Word of God, in the midst of persecution. He
was hated by the people. His own family stood against him. He was beaten by the leaders of
Jews. He was put in the dungeon. But Jeremiah followed his inner voice and continued
preaching for God to the hostile people.

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Apostle Paul tells of this in inescapable voice of conscience in 1 Cor. 9:16, For if I preach the
Gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me, yes, woe is me if I do not
preach the Gospel. A truly saved Christian knows that the sharing of the Gospel
(evangelization) is entrusted to him from that moment of salvation. The Spirit of God will
constantly plead through his conscience, Please go and share the gospel of salvation to
your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community, your country folks and even to
where ever God takes you. When a believer disregards this inner voice for a long time, he
comes to a stage of insensitiveness to the calling from within. Then he lives a life of
indifference and apathy regarding evangelism and making disciples. This is the sad fact that
has happened to many Christians.
Please inquire of the Lord if this is what happened to you. If so, please repent of your cruelty
and confess your laziness and start immediately witnessing for the Lord and please start
giving your resources for the expansion of Gods Kingdom.

4: Missionary Call comes from BEYOND:

In Acts. 16:6-8, we read of the Macedonian Call. Paul and Silas had made their itinerary to
go to Bithynia. But the Holy Spirit did not permit them to go according to their schedule.
They came to Troas under the direction of God. There Apostle Paul saw a vision. In that
vision he saw a man from Macedonia standing and pleading with him, Come over to
Macedonia and help us. This is the call from regions beyond.
Millions of people in many lands who live in superstition, sin and Satan are puzzled at the
indifference of the church. Vast numbers of Christians are sleeping just like Jonah while they
are perishing in sin. Running away from the presence of the Lord, Jonah the backslider was
sleeping at the lower part of the ship, even when the ship was tossed in the stormy sea. The
captain of the ship and all others in danger prayed to their god without any result. There
was only one man in the ship who knew the living God. That God alone could save. But the

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backslider prophet was sleeping when all were in danger. In their puzzle they came to Jonah
and asked, What do you mean, oh sleeper? Arise and call on your God, perhaps your God
will consider us, so that we may not perish (Jonah1: 6).The heathens were calling Jonah to
rise and pray to God for their salvation. People living in fear, despair and hopelessness are
asking you and me to render help to them. They are asking us to pray to God for their
safety. The world is inviting us to be missionaries. Sinners are calling us to be intercessors.
Look at the world around you, dear brother. See the unsaved and untold millions living in
fear of death and eternal hell. Some of them have heard that the Church has the answer.
But the church is sleeping. We live in backsliding. We live in materialism. We live for our
earthly comforts. We do not want to risk our lives. We silently allow sinners to go to
Christless eternity. Please respond to their call and say, we are coming to you. We will
bring to you the Gospel of forgiveness, cleansing and salvation. We have the best product
for your healing. That is Jesus Christ. We have the best clothes for you. That is the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. Do not live in fear of slavery to sin and Satan. Jesus is the
truth. We are bringing Him to you. He will liberate you. You do not live under the heavy
weight of sin. Jesus is able to carry your burdens for you.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, O Church of Jesus Christ, you are called to be a missionary from
all directions: from above, from below, from beyond and from within. You have no escape.
Please surrender your life to be a missionary today. You may say that God did not call you
yet to be in the full time service for Him. But beloved, God expects you to be a Normal
Christian. A Normal Christian is a full time Christian. A full time Christian is a witnessing
Christian where ever he goes. Show Christ by your life. Share Christ with your lips. Please
respond immediately to this un-avoidable call to missions.

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MOTIVATIONS FOR SOUL WINNING.

(2 Cor.5)
Apostle Paul had many reasons to quit. But he did not. He faced lots of criticisms, opposition
and slander from with in the church, especially from the Corinthian Christians. Persecution
from outside was also severe. Physical sufferings were many including shipwreck, stoning
and imprisonment. Mental agony was acute often because of his burden for the churches that
he planted and nurtured.
Let us look at some of the exciting , inspiring motivations found 2 Corinthian Chapter 5
that made him stead fast in serving God and His Church:1: Stewardship of my body: vv. 1-8.
Please notice the repetition of the body or our earthly tabernacle. My body is a precious
gift from God. God is the owner of my body. I am only a keeper of this body.
I am a steward .It is my duty to employ this body for the expansion of Gods kingdom and for
His glory. Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 4:7 talks of this body as earthen vessel in which the
glorious gospel is given as a treasure. To shed the gospel light to the world around us, we
may have to allow our earthen vessels be broken. Several times Apostle Paul talked about
his ministry involvement at the cost of his physical afflictions. He was beaten and stoned at
times. He was in ship wreck and endured sleepless nights. He was imprisoned and had fetters
around his feet. Bible commentators say that he had a frail body because of ill health and
sickness. He was in groans and pains often because of physical ailments like stomach
disorder, malaria fever and bad eye.
Though we have pain, sickness, groaning and decay my body is given to me by the Lord.
We have the hope of resurrection and glory. Now we must employ our bodies for travelling
for Him, speaking for Him and suffering for Him. Our life in this body is only for a brief
time. A time will come when we will not be able to pack and unpack, travel and preach,
suffer and sacrifice for God and the Gospel. We will become old or sickly. We will long for
the healthy days again. So, invest your bodies for the Evangelization of the World while you
are healthy and able.

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Once I was packing things and preparing for a Gospel trip to the hills. My dad who was in his
eighties saw my preparation. He was a man who travelled many miles and spent five decades
in preaching the Gospel in South India. He said to me, Son, how I desire to pack again like
you and go to preach the Gospel where the Name of Jesus is not heard! I desire to travel and
edify the saints of God. I am now unable because of my age and its ailments. I am glad you
are still young and strong. You can go where I cannot go. You are blessed. Keep on serving
the Lord as a good soldier. Do not slow down.

I was deeply moved and immensely challenged by those words. I paused for a moment and
thanked my God for giving me good health. I rededicated my life to carry the Gospel to the
ends of the earth as long as I live.
Dear brother, please take time each morning to look into the mirror and see your healthy
body. Please take time to thank God for the good hands and feet God gave you. Please thank
Him for the ability to see, hear and speak. Re-dedicate your whole body as the vehicle for the
Gospel. Commit your mouth to declare the Gospel. Surrender your body to demonstrate the
Gospel through your life.
2: Pleasure of my God: v. 9
So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or at home with
the Lord (NIV).
Sharing the Gospel to others is the pleasure of my God. When we suffer and lay down our
lives for the Gospel spreading, that brings joy to our God in Heaven.
That is exactly what we see after the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan at the hands
of John the Baptist. When Jesus came out of the water, And lo a voice was heard from
heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17). In baptism
Jesus declared symbolically his readiness to die on the cross, be buried in the grave and be
resurrected on the third day. This act of submitting himself to the sacrifice that atones for the
sins of man did please God.
Again on Mount Harmon Jesus transfigured Himself before his three disciples, Peter, James
and John. Moses and Elijah also came down to be present there. At the close of this incident,

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God announced from heaven, This is my son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
Listen to him (Matt. 17: 5). Why was God pleased? That was because of the commitment of
Christ to suffer and die on the cross for the salvation of man. Luke 9:31 makes it very clear.
The subject Jesus discussed with Elijah and Moses was his imminent sacrifice on the cross of
Calvary for the redemption of man.
Beloved, salvation of a sinful man is dearest to the heart of God. It is to this God has sent us
into the world (Matt. 28:18-20). When we spread the Gospel of salvation by our life and lips,
God is pleased. There is great joy in heaven when a sinner enters the kingdom of God.
Therefore brethren, let us live for the pleasure of our God by witnessing and winning souls
for Christ.
3: Rewards at the return of Christ. V. 10.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive that is
due for him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Please refer Rom.
14:10 also. Apostle Paul tells that all believers will have to stand before the judgment seat of
Jesus Christ. Note the phrase, we must all. That includes Paul also.

This is not the great white throne judgment for sinners, mentioned in Rev. 20:11-15. This
judgment is of a born again child of God and it is called the judgment seat of Christ.
This judgment is not for any punishment. This is for the distribution of rewards to the
children of God. Rewards are given for different works and victories of Gods people. This
place is called the BEMA where the winners in different competitions are given
acknowledgement and awards.
At this judgment seat of Christ there will be special rewards for soul winners. That is the
crown of rejoicing we read in 1 Thess. 2: 19&20, For what is our hope, our joy or the crown
in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you?
Indeed you are our glory and joy.
It is a heart thrilling truth to know that we will see all the precious souls whom we have
brought to the Lord through our witnessing. This is blessed thought that we will see many

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saints that were saved because we have supported missionaries to carry the Gospel to them.
This is inspiring. Beloved, let us keep on declaring the Gospel of Christ to others.
4: Torments of Hell Fire. v. 11.
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men (KJV).
The Bible speaks clearly about the eternal judgment of sinners in the lake of fire. That is
called hell, a place of fire, bitter memory and torment. It is also known as the outer darkness
and the bottomless pit.
Immediately after death, the sinner (his soul) goes to the place of torment which is called
Hades. This is stated in the story of Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The word used
here for that place is hell, in KJV &NIV. This is a place of fire. This is a place of thirst,
bitter memory and torment. Somebody may ask, How can there be pain, torment and thirst
without body? Medical science has already proved that there is what is called phantom
pain. That is the feeling of severe pain in our minds for the portion of the body that is
already cut off or removed by accident or amputation. This is the type of torment we read
about the rich man. He was thirsty and longed for a drop of water. He could speak and he
cried to father Abraham. He could see father Abraham and Lazarus sitting in his bosom.
Abraham said, My son, remember. The rich man had sharp memories of the sins he
committed and the opportunities he misused. He wanted to forget but he could not. He
pleaded to Abraham to send Lazarus to witness to his 5 brothers on earth.
He did not want them to come to this place of torment. He became a praying man for
missionaries. But that was too late.
But this is not the end or climax of the sufferings of sinners. The second resurrection is for
sinners. This will take place and all the sinners will stand before the white throne having their
bodies (Rev: 20:11-15). Man has committed sins in his whole entity body, soul and spirit.
Therefore, the righteous judge Jesus Christ will cast them into the lake of fire. This is the
eternal lake of fire. This is like a transfer of the criminal from temporary lock up to the
permanent jail. This is a promotion for sinners from Hades to Hell. In Hades they did not
have bodies. In hell they have their bodies. In this place of literal fire there is weeping and
gnashing of teeth forever. This is called the lake of fire because of the fire in liquid form in
all its severe heat. It is called the bottomless pit because of the unending feeling of

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continuous falling. O, imagine that terrible feeling. It is like the aircraft falling in air pockets.
But those fallings are but for a moment or few seconds. But this terrible feeling of falling is
for eternity. Hell is called outer darkness because the horrible fire is thick black. This is the
eternal separation from God and heaven.
Unfortunately there are some liberal Christians who cannot take the Word of God just as it is.
They deny the reality of literal hell. There are cults like Jehovah Witness and Seventh Day
Adventists who deny the existence of eternal hell. Seventh Day Adventists hold the heretic
view that sinners cease to exist (they are extinct) because they are destroyed forever.
I do remember the story of a mad man who walked around with a jug of water in one hand
and a flash light in the other. To those who asked him what he was doing, he would reply, I
am going to burn down heaven with my flash light and put out the fire in hell.
This is impossible. But a lunatic thinks it is possible. So also are these cults and liberals and
the teachers that are teaching these heresies in some seminaries.
Beloved, if you believe in a literal hell and eternal judgment of sinners, you will not be able
to keep silent. You will declare the Gospel to sinners and you will be ready to face all
sufferings to somehow pull out these helpless sinners that are heading to eternal fire.
5: Love of Christ v.14.
For Christs love compels us... says Paul (NIV). Love of Christ constraints us... reads
KJV.
It is true that our love to sinners should compel us to stop them from going to hell. But sadly,
our love is constantly fluctuating. Sometimes we are hot in our love and other times cold.
So, if we depend only on our changing and seasonal love that is not dependable. But
pleasantly the love that Paul talks about is not our love to sinners or Christ, it is the love of
God towards us and towards sinners.
When we consider the sacrificial, self giving love of Christ towards us, we cannot be lazy or
indifferent about evangelism and soul winning. Jesus left all the glories of heaven and came
to this sin-sick, cursed world because of His eternal love for sinful man like me.
He went to the cross of Calvary voluntarily and died in my place. This God deserves to be my
Lord. He desires to be my Lord. He demands to be my Lord (Please read vv. 14&15). This

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Lord and His love persuade me to go to the perishing millions and herald the Gospel of
salvation to them. When we think of the cross we cannot remain silent. This love compels us
to preach the Gospel and lead sinners to eternal salvation in Christ...

6: Transformed Lives. V. 17.

One of the strongest motivating forces that compel us to be missionaries is the glorious
change that happens to a sinner when he receives the life changing gospel. A tremendous
transformation takes place, just like the ugly caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly by
metamorphosis. Paul writes in Verse 17, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation, the old has gone, and the new has come.
The gospel we preach has power to turn a sinner to be a saint in Christ. He is transferred from
hell to heaven. He is lifted from pit to paradise. His citizenship changes from earth to heaven.
Satan relinquishes his ownership and Christ becomes the owner. He is no more the child of
wrath but a child of God. His nature is changed. His desires and habits are changed. He has
become a new man. This is a glorious change.
Correctional canters cannot bring this change in a man. Law and the police cannot create a
new nature in man. Gospel is the dynamite of God. Paul testified about the power of this
gospel to change man (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18).
In the month of May 1972 the Lord took me to preach the Gospel to Tamei Town of Manipur
West District. Over 2000 people gathered every night to listen to the Word of God. The Lord
blessed His Word. Each night several people came forward at the invitation and gave their
lives to Christ. On the final night, Sunday, there were heart warming, tremendous testimonies
from those who surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ.
Before we started the Gospel Crusade, there were 11 liquor shops in Tamei Town. By the end
of the week all Liquor shops were closed. The liquor store owners committed their lives
wholly to the Lord. They decided to take up other clean businesses for their livelihood.
Tamei Town rejoiced in the Lord. The presence of the Lord was felt in every home. Hundreds
of lives were transformed by the power of the Gospel.

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The district collector (deputy commissioner) of that district was Mr. Tuizar, a Thangkhul
Naga from Ukhrul District of Manipur. He invited me and the gospel team to his home for
dinner. Before the dinner, at the prayer time, Mr. Tuizar said to us, You Gospel preachers
are doing a much better job than we the keepers of law and the police force do.
You have changed the face of Tamei in a week, which we could not do in many years.
Hearing this commendation I replied to him, Sir, we are not the ones who transformed the
lives of these people. We cannot convert anyone. We cannot save any person from hell to
heaven. We cannot change their nature. It is God who did this. It is the glorious Gospel of
Jesus Christ. That is the life changing force. There is no power on earth like the Gospel.

Beloved, get excited to declare this Gospel to those who are living in sin and doomed to
eternal hell.
7: Commission from our Lord. vv. 18-21.
These verses tell that our appointment is from God. We are not called by man.
We are appointed as ambassadors for Christ. We are commissioned by the king of Kings and
the Lord of lords. Ours is the highest vocation in the world. Though we live in this world, we
are only pilgrims and strangers. We live on earth to speak for heaven.
Our citizenship is in heaven. Our responsibility in the world is to guide sinners to heaven.
We are just like the mile stones that we see all along the high ways. The duty of mile stones
is to show the distance from one place to another. They are placed temporarily. These stones
will not develop roots into the earth. They can be removed any time. Our responsibility is to
point out to people the way to heaven. We are not to develop roots into the world. We are to
think of heaven and speak of heaven to others.
We are entrusted with the message and ministry of reconciliation. Man has rebelled against
God. He has become the enemy of God, because of Satan. Jesus has come into the world as
the true mediator between holy God and sinful man. We, the church of Jesus Christ, are asked
to carry this message of peace to the ends of the earth. Christ alone is the remedy for all

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conflicts in this world. The Gospel of Christ brings peace between God and man. This Gospel
brings peace in the soul, in families, in society, in the nation and in the world.
The United Nations cannot bring lasting peace among the nations. Religions cannot bring
peace in the heart of man. Philosophies, education and wealth cannot bring peace between
man and God. Jesus alone is the way for peace. He gives peace between man and God for
eternity (Rom. 5:1). He gives perfect peace in our hearts in this troubled world (John 14:27).
He gives perfect rest in our souls when we lay all our burdens upon Him (Matt. 11:28). This
is the blessed message we have for all those who are living without peace, without joy and
without hope.
Beloved, let us get excited to witness for our Saviour and Lord. Let us spend our energy, time
and resources to spread this glorious message to all those who have not heard it. Persecutions
are temporary. Oppositions will not last long. Let us not slow down because of physical
sufferings and pains. Let us follow the pattern laid by Apostle Paul in remaining steadfast for
God and His Church. Let us commit our lives to continue the life of dynamic witness for our
Lord. Brethren, let us not quit. Let us press on. Victory is sure. We will win souls for Christ
from every tribe and tongue. We will all sing together forever the song of victory through the
Lamb of God who gave Himself for us (Rev: 7:9, 10). Hallelujah! Praise be to His mighty
Name!

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OH, FOR A MAN TO STAND IN THE GAP!

I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in
the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none(Ezek. 22:30,
31).
Throughout human history God seeks men and women, who will stand in the gap to
mediate, intercede and bring sinners to be reconciled with God. Unfortunately it is hard to
find enough people for this task. Therefore Jesus cried out in sadness, Harvest truly is
plentiful, but labourers are few (Matt.9.37). In Mathew 20:1-16 Jesus taught the parable of a
landlord who was in desperate need for harvesters but could not find enough people because
they were all idling their times in the market place. We also read about the prophet Jonah
who was called by the Lord to go to Nineveh as an ambassador of the Lord and save the city
from destruction. But Jonah disobeyed God. The same problem continues today while
Millions perish in sin. We do not have enough labourers for the ministry of evangelism and
church planting, despite the fact that this is the highest vocation God offers to man.
In the midst of this dark and discouraging situation, there are people who obey the call
of the Lord and launch out into the deep risking their lives to win souls.
When the earth was filled with wickedness and God was ready to destroy the world
by flood, God sought a righteous man to stand in the gap. He found Noah. When Israel forgot
God and unrighteousness increased God found one young boy Samuel who stood in the gap
to save His people. In Isaiah Chapter 6 we hear the call of God, Whom shall I send and who
will go for us. The Prophet Isaiah responded saying, Here I am. Send me. We read about
Jeremiah standing in the gap, weeping and interceding for the rebellious and sinful people of
Israel .The whole book of Lamentations is about the lament of Jeremiah standing in the gap
and pleading for mercy and pardon for the people of Israel. Nehemiah was a government
official living in the comfort and security of the palace of Sushan. Nehemiah obeyed the call
of God. He left the comfort of the heathen palace and went to the desolated city of Jerusalem
to rebuild the walls and bring glory to Gods people.
The most sublime picture of someone standing in the gap between the Holy God and
sinful humanity is Jesus Christ the Son of God. From Genesis to Revelation we read the story

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of Jesus Christ who took upon Himself the sin of man, stood in the gap and delivered sinners
from hell to heaven. The sin of man created a big gulf between man and the Holy God There
was no one to stand in this gap. There was no human resource to fill this gap. In the fullness
of time God sent his begotten Son into the world to bear the iniquities of man, bridge the gap
and prepare the way for the reconciliation of man with God, salvation for eternity.

Jesus Christ has commissioned His Church to stand in the gap between sinners and
God, to show the hell-bound sinners the way of salvation by putting their trust in the Lord
Jesus Christ and in his redemptive work on the cross.
God is calling men and women to stand in the gap and show the way of salvation to
every tongue and tribe all over the world (2 Chron. 16:9; 1 Sam. 16:7; Matt. 9:37-39). God is
calling each of His children to stand in the Gap between the sinners and God, between
backsliders and God, between a nation and God, between a family and God, between each
ethnic group and God. God wants His Church to stand in the gap for every tribe and tongue
on earth, to plead with them to be reconciled with God.
Let us study some of the Bible personalities who stood in the gap pleading for the people in
danger and bringing protection and peace to those who were in great peril.
Abraham is the first person that comes to my mind (Gen. 18:23-34). His nephew Lot
was a righteous man. But for the sake of better pasture for his cattle and for material
prosperity Lot left Abraham and went to the wrong place, Sodom. Sodom was a place of sin
and wickedness. Although Lot became a prosperous man and a respected leader in the city,
his soul was 'vexed' in that 'backslidden' condition.
God was grieved because of the sinfulness of the people in Sodom. So He decided to
destroy the city by fire but He remembered Lot, the righteous man in the wrong place. God
searched for a man to stand in the gap between Him and Lot the backslider. The verses we
have read together tell us that Abraham stood in the gap and pleaded for his nephew and his
family.
Lot deserted Abraham to seek worldly property, prosperity and success. The
unrighteous ambition for material blessings caused tension and conflict between the
herdsmen of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot. Lot could have solved this quarrel by asking

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his herdsmen to live peacefully with the herdsmen of his spiritual leader, Abraham but Lots
mind and heart were set on the temporal prosperity in a land of wickedness, Sodom (Gen.13).
Genesis chapter 14 records a battle. Sodom and four other kingdoms waged war
against four kingdoms. Lot and his family were held captives along with their property.
Abraham heard this sad news. His cousin Lot deserted him but Abraham showed him
compassion and went after the captors with his 318 strong men, defeated the enemies and
rescued Lot and his household (Gen.14). This was a 'wake-up call' from God to Lot. He
should have repented of his backsliding. But he did not. He should have returned to be with
his godly uncle. But Lot did not heed his inner voice and the biblical command to remain
loyal and faithful to the Lords people. He continued to live in Sodom because of his
unrighteous ambition to be rich and to be a successful man in the world.
Now, when the Lord was about to pour down fire and brimstone upon Sodom, Lot
and his family were in great danger. It was at that time that Abraham stood in the gap and
cried before God to spare the lives of Lot and his family. God heard and answered Abrahams
petition. Abraham could have harboured the hurt caused by Lot and his servants in his heart.
But he did not. When Lot was in danger Abraham stood in the gap not just once but twice.
Beloved, we are expected to stand in the gap for sinners. We are asked to forgive
those who hurt us and then plead with the Lord for them, just as Moses pleaded for his sister
Miriam who courted leprosy because she spoke against her brother, Moses, the Lords
anointed.
This is a call to you, dearly beloved, to rise up and stand in the gap for those who are
backsliding. That person may be a family member; it may be your nephew/niece. It may be a
person who has hurt you deeply.
God calls you to stand in the gap for your unsaved kith and kin. God wants you to
stand in the gap for your backslidden family members who may have even wounded you
terribly in the past. Please forgive them. Please forget their rebellion. Please stand before God
and intercede on their behalf.
Moses stood in the gap for the nation of Israel when they rebelled against God and
committed the sin of Idolatry (Exodus 32:32; Psalm 106: 23). The full story of this incident is
recorded in Exodus chapter 32.

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God by His almighty power delivered the people of Israel and brought them out of
Egypt where they were slaves of Pharaoh for 430 years. They were expected to be thankful to
the living God and worship only Him. Idol worship was strictly prohibited. Moses, their
leader went to Mount Sinai and communed with God for 40 days. During this time the people
of Israel could not see Moses for several days, and demanded Aaron to give them a visible
god. Aaron was not bold enough to restrain them from this demand for idolatry. So he
collected the gold ornaments of the people and molded a calf idol and said to the people,
This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. The people fell prostrate
before the idol and worshiped the golden calf (The KJV reading tells that Aaron molded one
golden calf as their god. But the NIV reading says that they made 'gods'- more than one
golden calf).
The Lord was angry. He spoke to Moses, I have seen these people. They are a stiffnecked people. Now leave me alone that my anger may burn against them and that I may
destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation (v.9). Moses became extremely sad
when he heard this terrible message from the Lord. Therefore Moses stood in the gap, wept
before God and pleaded for mercy and pardon for His chosen people. The most heart moving
climax of Moses intercession for the fallen Israelites is recorded in v.31 &32, Oh what a
great sin these people have committed! They have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet
now, if you will forgive their sin- but if not, I pray blot me out of your book which you have
written. The Lord answered his prayer and the Lord relented from the harm which He said
He would do to His people (v.14).

An in-depth study of this unpleasant episode brings to light some valuable truths for
us who are expected to stand in the gap between failed men and God.
(1) When Moses heard about the sin of idolatry by Israel, he was both sad and
angry. He was grieved and at the same time he was hot with anger. We see the
same mixed emotions in our Lord Jesus Christ when he saw the Jews turning
the temple of God to a place of merchandise ( John 2:13-22). He was sad. But
He was angry too. In his righteous anger, Jesus chased them all out by using a
whip of cords. This should be the attitude of God's servants towards the

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sinning and backsliding people. We must be angry at sin. But we must

intercede in tears for the sinner.

It is unfortunate that many church leaders treat the fallen believers as permanent
enemies and sometimes tear them down instead of building them up for the Lord.
They do not give a 'second chance' to those who fail in their life and witness for
the Lord. They forget the stories of David, Samson, Jonah, Peter and John Mark
who were forgiven and received a second chance for service.

(2) In righteous anger Moses brought discipline among the people. He crushed the
idol and forced them to drink. Secondly, he challenged the people to take a
bold stand for God and the word of God. The Levites came forward to obey
this call. They took their swords and slayed 3000 people bringing separation
and sanctification among the chosen people. A preacher of the Gospel must
act in this way. He should preach against sin in boldness. He should not avoid
rebuking sin. Church leaders are shepherds. There are times to use the 'staff'
softly to guide and direct the sheep. There are times to use the 'rod' to spank
and correct the sheep. Church leaders are like fathers. They lovingly provide
the needs of their children and guide them. They also sternly rebuke and
discipline the children.

It is recorded that Moses in his uncontrollable anger and desperation, took the two
tablets of Ten Commandments and broke them. Was this justifiable? I dont think so. It is
possible that servants of the Most- High God, in their zeal for the Lord and His Church may
do things which are not spiritual as 'self' and 'ego' overtakes them. A similar incident
happened to Moses at a different time. God told Moses to speak to the rock. But Moses smote
the rock twice in his anger. He spoke words that did not glorify God. Therefore the Lord was
unhappy and did not permit Moses to enter the land of Canaan. Ministers of the Gospel and
Church leaders must serve the Lord and His Church in humility and brokenness. Selfgratification, ego and pride have no place in Christian Service. Our preaching, teaching and

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rebuke should not betray a tone of irritation, frustration and anger. We have to perform our
task of counselling in humility, compassion and tears.

(3) We learn another splendid example of Moses standing in the gap between God
and His rebellious children from this story. In His wrath God declared that He
would destroy the nation of Israel and will bring out a great nation from the
family of Moses. This promise to be a great nation must have been very
attractive and tempting. Moses could have accepted that offer. He could have
convinced himself saying, This is the reward that God is giving me for all the
sufferings and sacrifices I have endured in obeying God. When such a great
promotion was offered to him by God, Moses could have answered to God,
Oh God, I thank you for offering such a blessed privilege. Though I did not
serve you for any reward, I knew that you are a just God and see all my labors
and will reward me in your good time. Thank you. But Moses did not yield to
that kind of carnal desire. He did not desire any profit or gain for his
obedience to God and service to the people of God. Moses remains a great
example for all of us who are in the ministry of God and His Church. This
example should admonish all those who are seeking position, promotion,
riches and material gains while serving the Lord and His people. The safety,
welfare and comfort of God's people were more important to Moses than his
own welfare and security. This is the selfless service example for all Christian
ministers.

(4) The ministry of standing in the gap is like 'atonement' that Moses announced
in v.30. In atonement the saviour boldly owns the sins of the people and
confesses sin on their behalf. This advocate is a substitute for the criminal.
The man in the gap is ready to receive whatever punishment the judge was
intending to give to the disobedient. This is what Moses did as he stood in the
gap between God and Israel. He carried the sin of the people. He volunteered
to receive the punishment God intended for the rebellious people. He pleaded,
...if you forgive their sin-; but if not, I pray, blot me out of your book which
you have written (v.32). We notice a hyphen and a semi column in the middle

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of this verse. In the English version we see only a hyphen. This has a deep and
hidden meaning. Moses was pleading for the people of Israel. He was weeping
for the people of Israel and could not continue his audible prayer.

God is seeking people who will intercede in tears for the unsaved and backsliding
people. God is looking for people who will pay any price to stand in the gap and win the lost
and dying world for Christ. Jeremiah was a man who wept day and night when he foresaw the
imminent captivity of Israel (Jer. 9:1).

Apostle Paul is another example of this kind of 'atonement'. Paul was in great pain
and was weeping for the 'religious and yet lost' people of Israel. He was even ready to be a
curse if by that Israel could be saved. Paul testified, I tell the truth in Christ, I am not
lying..that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I wish that I myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh (Rom.
9:1-3). He continued, Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God is that they might be
saved (Rom.10: 1). Oh, what a passion for perishing souls! What a heart-ache for
backsliders! What a concern for his own people!
Apostle Paul stood in the gap for sinners and backsliders. In Galatians 4:19 we see
Paul standing in the gap for the churches. He wrote, My little children, for whom I labor in
birth again until Christ is formed in you.
God is looking for men and women who will stand in the gap for sinners, backsliders
and infant believers who are yet to grow. God is calling you and me to do all we can to reach
the billions in the world with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
QUEEN ESTHER is the third main character who comes to my mind out of the hosts
of other Bible personalities who stood in the gap for the helpless and needy and those who
live in the shadow of danger and death (Esther 4:13, 14).
God lifted Esther, an orphan girl to be queen of Ahasuerus in the palace of Shushan.
She was a Jewish girl .Haman the Agagite cunningly plotted and successfully convinced the
king to annihilate the Hebrew people. Esther was the only person who could stand in the gap
and save her people from danger and destruction. If she dares to advocate for the Jews, her

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life would be at great risk. The king could become angry and depose her from the palace or
condemn her to death.
Mordecai, Esther's cousin who raised her after the early death of her parents, asked
Esther to go to the King and plead for the deliverance of her people. Esther was in a terrible
dilemma. She was not called by the king for thirty days. If she appeared before the king
without his call, her life would be in jeopardy. When she shared her fear and her hesitation to
go to the king, Mordecai sent a message back to her saying, Do not think in your heart that
you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain
completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another
place, but you and your father's house will perish. YET WHO KNOWS WHETHER YOU
HAVE COME TO THE KINGDOM FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS (4:14)?

Now look at the way Esther responded to Mordecai and resolved to stand in the gap
fully aware of the great danger and risk to her own life. She responded, Go, and gather all
the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days,
night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. AND SO I WILL GO TO THE KING,
WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW; AND IF I PERISH I PERISH!

The story goes on to say that Esther risked her life and approached the king. The Lord
gave favor in the kings heart towards Esther. She was able to stand in the gap and plead for
her people who were in the shadow of sword and death. The king altered his verdict. The
Hebrew people were protected. Haman the plotter was killed along with his whole family.
What a lesson to learn from this story!
Dear saints of the Lord, we were like orphans wandering, starving and dying in sin
and going to hell. God in His grace and mercy had compassion on us and lifted us up and
adopted us as His beloved children. We are called His precious bride. Christ is our
bridegroom. He wants us to go to every nook and corner of the world and deliver people from
darkness and the lake of fire.
Years ago missionaries came to our country exposing themselves to hostile climate,
diseases, epidemics and enemies. They brought the Gospel of salvation to our fore-fathers.

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Many of these pioneer missionaries died in the mission fields at the hands of enemies and
illness. They stood in the gap for you and me. Someone came to you and me and shared the
good news of salvation. Our death is vanished and we are alive in Christ.
It is our responsibility, beloved, to carry the Gospel to every tongue and tribe that
remain in darkness even in this 21st century. Yes, there are thousands of nations (ethnic
groups) scattered all over the world who have not yet heard the name of Christ. Hundreds of
those people groups live in our great and beloved country, India. Beloved, let us leave our
comfort zones and let us go out to the mountains and valleys in search of those people who
are ignorantly marching towards eternal torments in hell.
Let us decide to live frugal lives. Let us invest our finance and other resources to
support pioneer missionaries who are risking their lives and standing in the gap in most
difficult places. Let us stand in the gap and provide the material needs of the missionary
families. Let us rise up and be advocates for the church planters in remote regions,
challenging and inspiring churches in prosperous countries to render help to these
ambassadors of the Lord.
As a brief personal testimony, God called me to fulltime ministry in January 1968. I
was unwilling to obey the Lord and for six months I bargained with the Lord to spare me and
look for someone else. I promised Him 50% of my income for the work of the Lord if He
made me a rich man. But I had no peace in my heart as long as I continued disobeying God.
Finally, on June 3 1968 I resigned my job and entered into full time service as a preacher of
the Gospel. Four decades have passed. God has helped me to live a very simple life. He kept
me from the temptation of saving money and hoarding riches. I knew that I should not seek
land, buildings, estates and riches in the service of the Lord. As I look back, I thank my God
for calling me and persuading me to stand in the gap for tribes and tongues that never heard
the Gospel. So now I am a satisfied man and can loudly declare along with Apostle Paul,
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry (2 Tim. 1:12).
Dearly beloved, before you leave this room will you please obey the call of God asking you
to stand in the gap? Can you sense the pain in Gods heart when he exclaimed, I looked for a
man to stand in the gap. But I found none? Will you declare along with prophet Isaiah,

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Here am I. Send me (Isaiah 6:8). Be a pioneer missionary, if God is calling you. Be an

intercessor for sinners, backsliders and saints.
(This is a message preached in many places in the past, but prepared in full on August
4, 2011 in California, USA. This message can be elaborated with stories of great missionaries
who carried the Gospel to remote regions of the world, giving up their comforts and risking
their lives and even laying down their lives in the mission fields. Stories of Adoniram Judson,
William Carey, John Knox, Hudson Tailor, Jim Elliot and many more inspiring lives...)

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PASSERBY OR PARTICIPATORS?

Is it nothing to you that pass by? Behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
which has been brought on me, which the Lord has afflicted in the day of His fierce anger.
Lam 1:12
Now by chance a certain Priest came down that road. And when he saw him he passed by
on the other side. Likewise a Levite when he arrived at that place, came and looked, and
passed by on the other side. Luke 10:31, 32.
It is said that 80% of Christians are spectators and only 20% are participators in evangelism.
Among those 20%, only 2% are active in personally sharing the Gospel to others. The other
18% are satisfied by giving some money for evangelism. The world still waits and there are
millions who have never heard the Gospel of Christ because of this apathy and indifference
of the people of God.
I was watching a soccer game (Indian Foot ball) in Calcutta. Over a million people were in
the stadium watching the 22 players in the field. I was fascinated when I observed the
spectators in the stadium. Almost all of them were screaming and shouting suggestions and
instructions to the players. Many were criticizing the players who made a wrong move or
pass. Some of these spectators were elderly and unable to walk properly. Some had even
come on their wheelchairs and crutches and were very vocal with their advices and criticisms.
That scene brought to my mind a picture of the modern church in relation to evangelism and
soul winning. We see millions of spectators and very few participators in the mission fields.
Harvest is plenty but the labourers are few Jesus said when he watched the multitude.
Jeremiah the prophet saw the utter destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. He
saw the people of God in deep desolation and despair. He then penned the book called
Lamentations that has 5 chapters. Each chapter is a poem describing the pain and agony God
gave Jeremiah for the people of God. Chapter 1:12 & 13 is a summarized statement of his
weeping. This sadness is declared again by Jeremiah in Jer: 8: 20-9:1. He saw many
passerby who were indifferent and insensitive. They could have stopped and helped. They

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did not. They chose not to get involved. They were not ready to be participators in the
work of God.
In the story of the good Samaritan (Luk: 10:30-37) we see a helpless man who was half
dead and cast off by the robbers who assaulted him. A priest came by that way and saw this
dying man but he passed by the other side. A Levite came that way but when he saw the
groaning man, he passed by the other side. The priest and the Levite were chosen people of
God to serve and comfort the people of God but both of them passed by without getting
involved.

Is this nothing to you that pass by? is the sobbing question asked of you by the millions
who are still in the darkness of sin and Satan. The Macedonian cry is coming to you and me
from those helpless and hopeless souls Come over and help us. (Acts: 16:9)
I was watching the television news on January 5, 2010. It showed a police inspector who was
bleeding and crying on the road at Tirunelveli following an attack by some unknown
criminals with bomb, rods and knives. He was in pain and cried for help. I saw at least 20
people standing by the road side watching him. Not one of them came forward to help him or
offer to take him to the hospital. There were two politicians, state ministers, among the
spectators. They certainly had the resources to save this dying police officer. They did not
offer their vehicles to take the police inspector to the hospital. I saw the man bleeding to
death, just because nobody cared. Nobody wanted to get involved. All were spectators. I will
never forget the tragic scene. It will remain before my eyes for years.
In this message dearly beloved, I am pleading with each of you, to get involved in saving
souls that are dying and damned to eternal hell. I implore you, do not remain as spectators,
but be participators in evangelization of the world by going where God calls you and giving
what God asks you to give. Do not be a passerby. Please be a participator.
Is it nothing to you that pass by is the cry we hear from the mouths of three categories of
people who await your help. My prayer to God is that this message will open your eyes,
break your heart and then compel you to action. Let this message sink in to your heart and stir
you from slumber and force you to leave your comfort zone and sacrificially become
involved in Christian Missions.

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1: Those who did not get a chance to hear the Gospel of Christ ask, Is it nothing to you that
pass by?
I heard of a Gospel preacher who met a crying woman at the bank of river Ganges. She had
just thrown her infant baby girl into the river, in hopes of getting a boy in the next delivery.
She did this at the advice of her priest. The evangelist shared the Gospel with her and she was
gloriously saved. Then the woman with painful sobs asked the preacher, O, servant of God,
why did you not come at least 2 hours before to share with me the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Where is my baby girl now? She is gone forever. If you had come an hour before, I would not
have cast her into the river. The evangelist had no an answer to give.
I met a blind boy of 15 years on the Thumukkunda hills of Andhra Pradesh. He had become
blind because of superstition. The boy had a severe headache was 10 years old .His
grandfather took him to the fireplace and pierced his temple with a red hot iron rod causing
the boy to become blind. I share the Gospel with the young boy. He received his spiritual
sight by receiving Christ as saviour. I will never forget his words to me, Preacher, if you
had come to my village five years ago, I would not be blind. My priest and all the villages
would have accepted Christ. Many of my people died in superstition. I am so sorry for them.

There are villages and people who live under the fear of Satan and they are bound by spiritual
darkness and superstitions. I saw one middle aged man walking barefoot on broken glass and
bleeding profusely. He was seeking forgiveness for his sins by torturing his body. I saw
another man in Palani Temple, Tamilnadu, piercing his check with a sharp knife. The knife
had entered from one side and came out on the other side. He was bleeding. He could not
speak. Some one had told him that such kind of penance he would get moksha (salvation).
The Maram people of Manipur State force pregnant women to go to the forest for their
delivery. The helpless women give birth to babies without any human help. If a bad omen is
noticed by the priest, she has to abandon the female baby and allow the precious child to die.
Along the banks of the Pennar river of Andhra Pradesh, I saw pyramids of sand on with food
items such like milk, banana, oranges, rice and Sweets. I asked my pastor friend Devadanam,
What is the meaning of these heaps of sand and the food placed on them?

The pastor

replied, The people in this area believe that when people die, their departed spirits will come

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back to eat and drink the things they liked in their life time. So their relatives place these
items on the graves of sand. I became more puzzled and asked him, But I see birds and
dogs eating these food items. And when the flood comes all these bodies buried in shallow
sand will flow away in the current of the water. To this the pastor answered, This particular
community believes that the spirits of the departed will come in the form of birds and animals
and will eat and drink the food that is kept on their grave. When the flood comes, their bodies
will be taken away by the water which is one of their goddesses.
Beloved, the animists, the precious people living in fear of Satan and darkness of superstition
are asking you today, Is it nothing to you that pass by? Our forefathers died in sin and they
have gone to eternal hell. You say that you have the true good news of salvation. Then why
do you not come and tell us the story?? Why are you not sending evangelists with the good
news? How long shall we wait? How many more should die in their sin before our people get
a chance to hear the Gospel?
Narayan Paul was working at Hindustan Motors as an officer. He enjoyed a good salary and
comfortable life but he read about the Saura tribe living in Srikakulam and its surrounding
hills who had never heard the Gospel. They were spirit worshippers and dying with malaria.
There were no medical facilities and the region. Narayan Pauls heart was broken when he
heard of the people living in darkness and dying without hope. Narayan Paul a newly married
man resigned his job and went to live among the Sauras with his wife Grace. For 13 years he
labored and experienced incredible illness such as malaria, stomach disorders and breathing
problems. People labeled him as a fool but after 13 years, God rewarded him with 26 new
converts from the Saura people who were baptized. The Lord began to give him increasing
harvest of souls. In 1992 when I went to the hills of the Sauras with brother Narayan Paul,
God had given him more than 4000 believers with 25 new church gatherings worshipping the
Lord.

Brethren, please listen to the cries of the nations that have not heard the Gospel. Please
respond and dedicate your life and resources to pull them out of darkness to the light of Jesus
Christ, the only hope of the dying world.
2: The new believers (converts) in the mission fields are asking you to day, Is it nothing to
you that pass by?

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God has graciously used me to carry the gospel to some of the un-reached people groups
living in some most difficult places of India. Many of the young converts plead with me to
support them and send them for Bible Training. Many believers are unable to purchase
Bibles, Gospel booklets, tracts and Christian literature.
New Christians in many places are very poor and they are unable to construct church
buildings. They are looking to us for help to buy the lands and build places of worship. One
of the greatest and urgent needs is to provide burial grounds (cemetery) for them. The nonChristians ridicule these believers and make things difficult for them when they do not have a
place of worship and a place of burial for their dead. These are the most basic needs. I know
of numerous places in India where Gods people are gathering for worship each Sunday,
under the shade of a tree or isolated locations in the forests. I have visited hundreds of
churches that gather for worship at night without proper lighting system and they do not have
even a petromax.
Do they have no right to a building and a cemetery to bury their dead? Dont they deserve to
get at least a copy of the Bible? I saw more than 100 souls come to the Lord, openly
declaring their faith in Christ after preaching in Rajapalem of Cuddapah district. As I was
leaving them, every one of them asked me for a copy of a Telugu Language Bible. I had only
five Bibles. I left that place with a heavy heart unable to provide Bibles for 95 new babes in
Christ. In Narsaramiahpalli there were more than 200 Christians. But they did not have a
pastor or preacher to feed them or lead them. They pleaded with me, Can you please send
one teacher of the Bible to live among as and raise us up in Gods ways? I could not answer
Yes. I left that place wiping my tears and bearing the pain of my deep emotion.
Beloved brothers and sisters, God has blessed you with many resources. Please do not misuse
them. Please do not waste your blessings with an extravagant life style. Please share your
blessings without any reservation for the salvation of souls and training of new converts.
Please respond to this cry and support a student in a Bible College or send your money to buy
Bibles or build a place of worship. God may be calling you, dear brother, to be a missionary
among the unreached people groups. Please obey that call. God may want you to resign your
present job and go as a teacher of the Bible in newly evangelized areas. Will you obey the
call of God? You may be a doctor or a nurse. Will you surrender your life to go and serve the
Lord and His church wherever God leads you? Please do not remain as a passerby. Please
be a participator. Please get involved.

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3: Missionaries, Mission Boards, Mission projects, Church planters and Mission agencies are
asking you, Is it nothing to you that pass by?
I know some field mission leaders who do not have a jeep or motor cycle to travel distant and
difficult places. I know pastors and church planters who walk to more than 2 villages on
Sundays to lead worship and preach. How easier and faster would it be for them if we could
buy a scooter or bi-cycle for them?

I know mission agencies who want to equip the

missionaries with medicines, clothes, books and other resources that will make them more
effective in the ministry. I know of village preachers and church planters waiting in line for
years to get the very basic tools like jungle boots, sleeping bags, portable tents and flash
lights for their gospel journeys. Mission leaders have approached me many times to help
them with short term Bible training for their pioneer missionaries and pastors who have not
had opportunity for any formal Bible training.
Open evangelism and public preaching is prohibited in many countries including India. In
such places the only way to reach tribes and tongues would be by developing and training
young lives for the future. Orphanages and children homes are proving to be the best method
to develop missionaries. There are 24 tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. Out of them about 14
tribes have heard the Gospel there are ten tribes waiting for the Gospel. God has given me the
burden to seek orphans and the destitute from among them and then send them as
missionaries and church planters. Since the launch of this strategy in 1980, there are now a
few missionaries already serving the Lord in Arunachal Pradesh.
60% of countries in the world do not permit western missionaries to enter and evangelize
their people. The only option is to train our own national missionaries, equip them and send
them to the fields. We cannot depend on foreign financial support indefinitely. Restrictions
are on the increase. Therefore, we must find ways and means to make our native missionaries
self supporting, and truly indigenous. By teaching the native missionary a trade or by
purchasing a cow, a goat, a buffalo or pig for them to rear, it would be possible to multiply
and generate an income for their monthly expenses of food, clothing and ministry. Beloved,
this is where you come in. Please research or ask a well informed missionary about ways you
can help with these projects when the opportunities arise.

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Queen Esther could have remained a spectator and permitted thousands of Jews to be killed
through the evil plot of Haman. But Mordecai warned her, If you remain completely silent at
this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your
fathers house will perish. Yet who knows you have come to the kingdom for such a time as
this? (Esther: 4: 14-16). God raised Esther to a powerful and influential position. She was
the only person who could intervene, mediate and change the verdict of the king to kill the
Jews. At first Esther hesitated because her life would be in danger in the face of the kings
anger. Esther became convinced by the words of Mordecai and she decided to get involved.
She determined to be a participator in the salvation of the Jews. Esther accepted the risk
and went to the king to plead for her people, the Jews.

Brothers and sisters, when you become involved in evangelism there may be dangers and the
risks may be many. We see signs of increasing persecution, against Christians and
missionaries in our land. Nevertheless please do not be a spectator.
I could have remained a spectator. I could have passed by indifferently. But God in His grace
allowed me to be involved in His glorious service. I thank Him for that as long as I live.
It was difficult to resign my secular job. It was humanly foolish to take up a simple life style
giving up many legitimate rights and of day to day wants of life. It looked absurd to shiver
the whole night in forests and walk many miles on difficult mountains. People tried to
discourage me from taking orphans when my wife and I did not have enough to eat and did
not have good clothes to wear.
In a place called Leijangphai of the Simte tribe in Manipur, I spent a sleepless, shivering
night due in the severe cold. I longed for my bed and home in Churachandpur. For a moment
I regretted the life style I chose and murmured in my heart. But the Lord immediately
rebuked me by and reminded me of the pleading question of the unsaved Is it nothing to you
that pass by?
After 3 days walk on the hills, I reached Magulong village of the Zemei Naga people in
North Manipur. It was 8PM. I was hungry. I was tired. I had a severe headache. I had planned
to take a bath, take some medicines, and eat and go to sleep. Without my knowledge or my
consent, the village leaders decided to hold a public meeting and they rang the bell to gather

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the crowd. One of them came to me and said, Preacher, please come and preach. People are
waiting. I was upset and agitated in my mind. I thought myself, Am I a machine like a
typewriter that I can start functioning at the press of a button? Do they not know I am tired?
Have I no right for food? Have I no right for a bath? Have I no right to rest and sleep? I will
not preach. But I got up and opened the sliding bamboo window of the house and looked
outside. To my amazement, there were more than 1000 people sitting in the terrible cold of
winter, with charcoal fire in metal buckets, under the dim light of the fire place and they were
waiting for someone to come and tell them of the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation.
God rebuked me. Are you concerned with your hunger, headache and comfort more than the
fate of these people without God? I was also rebuked by the question that came to my mind,
the cry from the people, Is it nothing to you that pass by? You are like that Priest. You are
no better than the Levite- God scolded me in my heart. Then I remembered the story of the
Good Samaritan who got down from his animal, nursed the wounds of the helpless man and
took care of him. I also recalled the Mordecais rebuke to Queen Esther. Above all that, God
reminded me of the son of God who was born in a manger in Bethlehem and who lived as a
man of sorrow and pain. The son of God that went to the cross of Calvary for my sins and
was crucified on three rusty nails of the Roman Empire. He gave his life for me. How can I
be silent? How can I be insensitive? I rebuked myself.

I took my Bible and went out with a broken heart, weak, yet with the power of God. God
gave me words to preach. I spoke on Zacceus and his salvation. God blessed the Word. I
gave the invitation to respond to the call of Christ and to my great joy; more than 400 people
stood up in tears and came forward to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The counseling
went late into the night. We all rejoiced beyond words at this miracle of salvation that took
place that night.
Late at night, at about 11PM, my host informed me that my food was ready. Surprise again! I
found that I was not hungry at all. My headache was gone. I was on wings of heavenly joy
and satisfaction. The joy of the Lord was my strength. I will remember this incident as long
as I live.
Beloved, here is my plea to you this day. Lift up your heads and look to the unreached tribes
and tongues. Look at the new converts in the mission fields. Look at the missionaries that are

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serving God in the most difficult places. Please listen to the cries of all these people, Is it
nothing to you that pass by?
Please respond to that call and say, I do care. I will get involved. I will participate in active
witness to the lost. I will go where God wants me to go as a missionary. I will invest my
resources to provide the needs of new converts and missionaries. I will live a frugal life style.
I will save all what I can and use it for missionary efforts. I will be careful about my
shopping. I will buy only what I need. I will learn to live on the lowest minimum. I will be an
active participator for the expansion of Gods Kingdom. O, God help me.

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SATISFACTION OF A SERVANT OF GOD.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because he counted me faithful, putting
me into the ministry. (1Tim:1:12).
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
(2Cor: 4:1)
Rise and stand on your feet ; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a
minister and witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet
reveal to you .(Acts:26: 16)
Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and
great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would comethat the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would
proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the GENTILES. (Acts: 26: 22, 23)
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. (Acts: 26:19.
These are some of the verses through which Paul testified and became a minister of the
Gospel because he was made minister by Christ. He was not a ready volunteer for the
service of God. He was forced into it by Christ. Although Paul faced many oppositions from
the church and attacks from those outside,

he remained steadfast in the ministry and

continued to preach the message of the cross , without deviating to the right or left. (Acts:
26:23, 1 Cor: 15:3, 4, 1:18, Gal: 6:14).
In Colossians 1: 21-29 Paul lists 8 reasons for this kind of excitement and satisfaction in
serving Christ and His Church. Let us examine this scripture to explore the secrets.

1: The SOURCE OF THE MINISTRY-GOD. vv: 23, 25.

In these verses Paul says that he 'became a minister because he was called and he was
made a minister. In 1 Cor: 3: 5&6 Paul testified, Our sufficiency is of God, who also made
us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. He says in Gal: 1:15, It pleased God, who
separated me from my mothers womb, and called me through His Grace. The source of his

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ministry was God. He was confident of three things: i: Divine Calling. ii: Divine Office. iii:
Divine enablement. Paul was persuaded by Christ and compelled into the ministry.
The Bible speaks of mighty men of God who were unwilling to become the servants of God
but God compelled them into it. They obeyed God and became mighty warriors for the Lord.
Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah and John Knox are a few such examples.
When the battle rages, persecutions increase, the waves are high and friends turn to foes, the
one thing that will give you stick-ability and stability in the service of Christ, dear brother, is
the assurance of Gods call. The knowledge that you are appointed by the king of Kings and
the Lord of Lords will keep you steadfast. It is a privilege to be the ambassador of Jesus
Christ, your savior and Lord and the assurance that He who called me is faithful and He
will stand with me when all others leave me. (1 Tim: 4:17). God promised that He will walk
with me and give me triumph even when I pass through the valley of the shadow of death.
(Psalm: 23: 4. 2 Tim: 4:6-8).
2: THE SPIRIT OF THE MINISTRY: I now rejoice in my sufferings for you... (v: 24)
When we serve God in the will of God, with the assurance of His calling, with the word of
God as a weapon and with the Spirit of God as our power, we can rejoice like Paul and Silas
in the jail. (Acts: 16). The Apostles were beaten and persecuted by the religious fanatics of
the day for their witness. The Apostles, departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His sake (Acts: 5:41)
Many of Christs soldiers are discouraged, broken hearted, defeated and retreat because of the
manifold obstacles and oppositions in the ministry. Many church planters are tempted to
quit from the mission field when souls are not saved. Brother, reflect on your calling, focus
on your mission, concentrate on the face of the Master and continue your labor. This will
enable you to rejoice even at the darkest hours of life.
3: The SUFFERING OF THE MINISTRY: I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill
up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is
the Church.(v:24). Paul knew that suffering for Christ and His Church was a great privilege.
(Phil: 1:29). Does this verse mean that the sufferings of Christ were insufficient for the full
redemption of the Church? No. Here is the meaning:-

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The world aims to attack Jesus Christ. But Christ is not here on earth to receive it. These
blows, stoning, mockery, reproach and persecution fall upon the servants of God. In this
sense we are the people who face the stones and blows for the sake of Christ and His Church.
Therefore, let us thank God because we are honored to suffer for the Churchs sake here on
earth
Apostle Paul lists the sufferings and reproach he experienced for the sake of the Church. (2
Cor: 11). The Church is the masterpiece of God. The Church is the most beautiful institution
in the world and the most diverse institution. The Church is the largest institution in the
world- it has people from every tongue and tribe. The Church is the strongest institution in
the world because Christ is its foundation. The Church is the only permanent institution.
When all other kingdoms crumble, The Church of God will remain for ever. The Church is
the most precious institution- Christ shed His precious blood and gave His life for the
Church. Let us rejoice and be proud of serving the Lord and His glorious Church.
4: The SCOPE OF THE MINISTRY: to fulfill the Word of God, the mystery which had been
hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them
God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles; Which is Christ in you the hope of glory.(V: 25, 26, 27.)
The mystery is that the Gentiles should also become part of the body of Christ. (Eph: 3:1-7).
The Gospel is not only for the Jews, but for Gentiles as well. This was a mystery, not
revealed earlier. But now through the blood of Christ Jews and Gentiles can be saved and
become members of the body of Christ. This scope is vast and great. (Gal: 3:27, 28). Through
the broken body of Christ, the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles is cancelled for
ever and Gentiles can also be citizens of the Kingdom of God (Eph: 2:11-13.)Because this
mystery has been revealed to us, we must carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to every
nation, every tongue and every tribe. (Matt: 24:14, 28: 18-20, Rev: 7:9-12.)
We have the largest market for the Gospel. There are chosen people from every tongue and
tribe. The disciple thought that only the Jews were in that fold but Jesus declared that there
are other sheep that are not of this field and our duty is to bring them into the fold. (John:
10:16). Armed with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we are commanded to
go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and utter most parts of the earth (Acts: 1:8). The world is

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our parish so let us not slow down. Let us seek one more tribe, one more tongue, one more
nation, one more village and one more city for God.
This scope inspires Paul to remain steadfast, for he says his desire is to fulfill the Word of
God. (V: 25). Paul always had a yearning to complete the ministry that God entrusted him to carry the Gospel where the name of Christ was never heard. (Rom: 15:20). He was
committed to complete the ministry, despite many oppositions, sufferings and confrontations.
(Acts: 20:24, 27, 21:13). Brother, first of all please know the will of God in your life
regarding the ministry God wants you to do. After that, follow Pauls example of finishing
the task and completing your race. (2 Tim: 4:6-8)
5: THE SUBJECT OF THE MINISTRY. Christ in you the hope of glory. (V: 27). This is
the substance of the message we preach. Our lives are in decay because of sin and its curse.
But Christ seeks to come in and dwell in our hearts (Rev: 3:20, Eph: 3:17). The indwelling of
Christ in our hearts defeats the decay and corruption and He changes us from glory to glory.
He cancels the penalty of our sin. He gives us victory over the power of sin in us. He removes
the presence of sin in our lives.
We will be glorified at the coming of our Savior and Lord. This is what we much preach in
our ministry. We must share of the transformation of sinners into saint in Christ. We must
speak of the promotion of the condemned sinner from pit to paradise, from hell to heaven and
of the glorification of decaying human beings by the resurrection of Christ. Brother, our
Good news is matchless. There is no other gospel like this. Preach it my friend. Do not be
silent. Get excited.
6: THE STYLE OF THE MINISTRY: Him we preach, warning every man and teaching
every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (v: 28). Our ministry has two sides, one is negative and
one is positive. Our ministry is one of both Warning and Teaching. In other words,
preachers of the Gospel must preach against sin, about judgment, about repentance and about
contrition with a broken heart.
When people truly repent, we ought to point them to the cross, to the love of Christ and to
faith in Jesus Christ. Repent and believe are the two sides of the same coin in regeneration
or new birth in Christ. True faith is permeated by repentance and true repentance is
permeated by faith. One with out the other is just intellectual knowledge and that cannot
take anybody to the kingdom of God. Many people profess faith in Christ. But we do not see

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any change or transformation in their lives. As preachers our duty is to preach against sin,
backsliding, judgment and hell. Brothers let us preach the full Gospel.
In building the Church of Jesus Christ, first of all we are to dig deep and destroy every
unbiblical tradition, rituals, customs and practices. (Jer: 1:10). We are to remove the rubbish
(Neh: 4:10) and only then start building the foundation. Any lives built on rubbish will fall
down. Any church built on rubbish will displease God. Let us be like Nehemiah who had
the weapon in one hand against the enemy and build with the other hand. Let us war against
sin and then build in prayer and Biblical principles. Let us destroy the rubbish and build the
wall.
7: THE SUM OF THE MINISTRY. The climax of our ministry is much more than a creating
a head count of born again people. Our ministry is to disciple them that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus (v: 28b). This does not mean that we can bring them to a
stage of sinless perfection. (1John:1:8). That perfection only comes when we are glorified
and our sin nature is removed. But what it means is that that we should strive to see them
grow into maturity. (Col: 2:10, 4:12-16).
Servants of God experience the satisfaction of raising and developing new Christians into
maturity. Apostle Paul wrote, My little children for whom I labor in birth again until Christ
is formed in you (Gal: 4:19).A Servant of God is like a mother who looks after her child into
adulthood. It takes time.
It takes many tears. God is looking for such servants in His Church.
8: THE STRENGTH OF THE MINISTRY:
Paul often confessed his weakness, inadequacy and fear in the service of God and took
courage to continue and complete his task saying, To this end I also labor, striving
according to His working which works in me mightily (v: 29). This power is the
strengthening of the Holy Spirit. Paul testified, I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me. (Phil: 4:13).
In spite of his failings Paul shone bright as a minister of the Gospel, according to the gift of
the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power (Eph: 3:7). Paul
confessed his inadequacy. He did not want to preach in human wisdom and eloquence. He
sincerely desired to minister the Word of God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. So he wrote

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to the Corinthians, I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. And my
speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the
demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Cur: 2: 3, 4)
O, servants of the most- High, cease depending on your worldly wisdom, eloquence, degrees
and experience. Be filled with His Spirit and complete the service for Him joyfully. Let us
thank God for calling us into His glorious ministry. Let us rejoice in full satisfaction that the
Grace of God has sustained us thus far and that He will enable us to finish the race well.

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SECOND MILE CHRISTIANS

(Extra mile for Jesus)
"And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two". Matt. 5:42
Jesus taught his disciples and showed them the contrast between Law and Grace. The People
living under law focus on 'duty', rules and regulations. But those under grace live and act in
love without calculating the costs and beyond expectation because "we have received freely
and we need to give freely".
In those days if a Roman had to carry a load, he could demand a Hebrew person to carry that
load for 'One mile'. Every Hebrew home had measured and marked a One mile distance
around their houses to show the limit for such a service. This was the expectation under Law.
But Jesus has exhorted His disciples to go an 'extra mile', beyond their duty.
In our Christian life, God wants us to be ready to go an extra mile for Him in all things
compelled by love. Now lets us see only seven of them.

1: Go the second mile in HOLINESS (1 Pet. 1:15, 16).

Born again people are called Saints. We do not have to wait till death to be declared saints.
We have the positional holiness, because we are in Christ. But we need daily sanctification.
This is progressive. This continues until death. We may think we are better in purity in
comparison to others that we know. But when we compare our holiness with the holiness of
God we will always fall short. We need to strive to be holy like Him. In Positional Holiness
every believer is a saint. We are covered by the righteousness of Christ. But for practical
holiness, we have to sanctify ourselves each day. We need to examine our lives in the light of
God's Word. If we find anything in our life that is against God's will, if we have failed or
fallen in sin, we have to confess our sin and receive daily cleansing from the Lord. The
world is watching our lives. We must show the beauty of Christ in us and through that the
world will be attracted to our Savior Jesus Christ.

2: Go the second mile in PRAYER (Luke 11:5-10).

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Many of us approach prayer as a 'hit and run' policy. Persistence in prayer is advocated by
our Lord. He knows our needs and problems even before we tell Him. However, He wants to
see our seriousness on the matter. The Lord has said that prayer with fasting is required in
some cases (Matt. 17:21).
Jacob wrestled with God at Penuel (Gen. 32). He insisted of the Lord, "Unless you bless me I
will not let you go". Jacob was desperate for God's intervention and blessing.
Jesus prayed in great agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. "His sweat began to fall on the
ground as great drops of blood" says the Bible. John Hyde was a missionary to North India.
He was not a great preacher but he was a man of prayer. John Hyde often spent many hours
in prayer, kneeling down and at times falling prostrate before God. Therefore, it was said that
his heart moved from one side to the other! He was known as "Praying Hyde". Harvest of
many souls and tremendous revival broke out in Punjab because God honored the travailing;
persistent prayer of his child. Prayer does not change God. Prayer changes the one who prays.
Prayer prepares the heart and mind to receive what the Lord has to give. God is not able to
give us many blessings because He has not seen the earnestness in us. He cannot trust us with
those blessings. God knows that we will use the blessings for our own benefit and satisfaction
of our ego.
Satan trembles when he sees a child of God on his knees. He is not worried about our
preaching, gospel campaigns and routine worship services. But Satan is afraid of our prayers
in the will of God, because He knows that true prayer shakes earth, hell and heaven. Fervent
prayers reach three worlds- Earth, Hell and Heaven. Prayer is our communion with the power
house, God Himself. It is easier for believers to preach, read the Bible and attend corporate
worship services. But it is a challenge to spend half an hour a day on our knees in prevailing
prayer.

3: Go the second mile in the FULLNESS OF SPIRIT (Eph. 5:18-21)

Born again believers have the indwelling of the Spirit from the moment of salvation. They are
sealed, anointed and baptized by the Holy Spirit. They have the earnest (guarantee) of the
Holy Spirit and that is the down payment for our future bodily glorification and possession of
glorious heaven. The Holy Spirit does not leave a believer when a child of God commits sin.

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Of course he grieves the Spirit and loses the joy of Salvation. Each believer is a member of
the Church which is formed by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Though the gifts of the Spirit
may differ from person to person, each person has the indwelling of the Spirit till the day of
our final redemption.
We do not have to wait again for another out pouring of Spirit from outside, as many people
mistakenly believe. A believer who has the indwelling of the Spirit requires daily and
moment by moment 'filling'. This does not mean the Holy Spirit enters again into us from
outside, as in the day of Pentecost. Oswald J Smith said, "Filling of the Holy Spirit does not
mean you have to wait and get more of the Spirit, but it means that you allow the Holy Spirit
in you to have the complete control of you". It is not that you need more of the Holy Spirit.
But it means that Holy Spirit wants more of you.
Stated simply, filling of the Holy Spirit is a process. When we sin and grieve the Spirit, we
lose the joy of Salvation. We become dry and fruitless. So we need to confess our faults and
renew our commitment to the Lord. When we do that, the Holy Spirit who is already in us
will take full control of us and He (Holy Spirit) will be happy again. We then recover the joy
of our salvation and "our cups run over". This is the overflowing life or the fullness of spirit.
Spirit filled life is manifested in the production of 'fruit' listed in (Gal. 5:22). We become
people of God's love. We manifest our love by humility, tenderness, compassion, patience,
longsuffering and peace. In Eph. 5:18-21 a Spirit filled Christian is joyful, thankful and
humble. A Christian becomes powerful when he is in the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Act. 1:8;
4:31). The unmistakable evidence of the fullness of the Spirit is the Holy boldness in
declaring the Word of God. When the coward Peter who denied Jesus three times, was filled
with the Spirit, he began to preach the Word in Great power and boldness.
Many people boast of fullness by exhibiting some 'gifts' of the Spirit. If they do not produce
the 'fruit' they are just like trees with many branches and green leaves, but without fruits. God
is looking for 'fruit' on the tree. May we become fruitful Christians, filled with the Holy
Spirit, each day of our lives!

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4: Go the second mile in LOVE (John 13:34, 35)

Love is the measurement of Discipleship. We are asked to love as Jesus loved. He loved the
weak. He loved the ungodly. He loved His enemies.
Human love vacillates and fluctuates. We love the lovable. We love those who are good to
us. We hate those who hate us and hurt us. Jesus loved us (enemies) even at the point of
death. This is the love that Jesus demands from us in the Church and also towards others. The
epistles of Paul record the 'brotherly love ' and hospitality in the early Church. He called them
'beloved' in Christ. Paul often testified that he longed to see the believers. He knew the names
of even those whom he had not seen. He wrote to the Philippians Christians, 'I have you in
my mind, I have you in my heart, I have you in my prayers and I long for you' (Phil.1:1-5).
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to
impart to you not only the Gospel, but also our lives, because you had become dear to us
(1Thes. 2:8). To the Galatians he said, "My little children for whom I labor in birth again
until Christ is formed in you (Gal. 4:19). The Corinthians did not like Paul but Paul's heart
was wide open towards them, expanded by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 6:11, 12). It was Love
that compelled Paul to be known as the filth of this world for sake of the glory of the
Corinthians. He sacrificed much for the sake of the hostile Corinthians who stood against
him.
Dear servants of God, Your services may not be rewarded suitably by the churches that you
serve. The recipients of your sacrificial services may oppose you, criticize you and even vote
against you. You may think it is a thankless job. But brother, do not lose heart. Your true
reward waits for you in glory and will be given to you by the righteous judge. He will not
forget you. So love the Church and serve with gladness.
5: Go the second mile in FORGIVENESS (Col. 3:13).
Jesus prayed for his enemies, "Forgive them for they know not what they do". They beat him,
crowned him with thorns, spat upon his face, and mocked Him, and nailed Him to the cross.
But He forgave them.
God expects the same kind of forgiveness from us. It is difficult to forgive those who
persecute us. It is not easy to forgive those who capture our land and house. It is humanly

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impossible to forgive those who gossip against us and spread all kinds of false rumors. But
the Lord wants us to follow His example of forgiveness.
Australian missionary Graham Stains sacrificially served the lepers of Orissa for three
decades. He was like a father to those helpless and neglected people. But the Hindu fanatics,
the Bajrangdal, burned to death this dear missionary and his two precious sons in the
midnight as they were sleeping in a jeep. The sane nation found it hard to forgive Bajrangdal
and its cruel leader Dhara Singh. But the world was amazed when Elizabeth, the wife of the
missionary declared that she has forgiven the murderer! This is going the extra mile in
forgiveness. This expression of sublime forgiveness challenged the nation and inspired
thousands to turn towards Christ who is the embodiment of love and forgiveness.
This story has moved me tremendously as I was struggling on the matter of love and
forgiveness towards those brethren who blatantly and ferociously attacked me and plotted for
my humiliation till my death.
I thank God for His Word that healed me and His Example that motivated me to love and
forgive my enemies. I could see them not as my enemies, but as only tools in the hands of the
devil. So, this message comes from my heart and experience. May this message inspire you to
forgive your enemies unconditionally!
6: Go the second mile in MISSIONS (Josh. 14:12).
Caleb was 85 years old when he claimed the Mount Hebron. The present name of this mount
is EI-Khalel and it is 3060+ feet high. When the land of Canaan was divided and distributed
to the 12 tribes, Caleb the old man had the faith to ask for the highest mountain. God is
looking for men and women who will claim the mountains for God. God is seeking men and
women who will go as missionaries to the hardest places.
God is looking for men and women who will claim the mountains for God in Evangelism and
Christian Missions. God needs men and women to go to places where no one has gone
before; to tribes and tongues that are in remote and dangerous places. God is looking for
people like Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, David Brainerd, William Carey, Mary Slessor,
Gladys Ail ward and David Livingstone.
More than ten thousand people groups have not yet heard the Gospel. Who will go to them
with the Gospel of salvation? By His grace I obeyed His call to preach the Gospel to the

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tribes that lived on the mountains of North east India. By faith I claimed those mountains.
God honored my obedience. He allowed me to see thousands of souls brought to His
Everlasting Kingdom.
Dear Christian, God calls you to 'launch out into the deep', risk your life and go to win souls
to the ends of the earth. Be like Caleb. Claim the mountains for the Lord.
You may have a mountain in your home. You know it and God knows what that mountain is.
Have faith in God. Pray and wait. God will move that mountain for you. Caleb could claim
the mountain even at the age of 85. Do not make excuses. God is calling you. Just obey His
call.

7: Go the second mile in GIVING (2 Cor. 8:1-6; Mark 14:1-14)

In the Old Testament God's people were asked to give tithe which was God's portion. In fact
they were expected to give three kinds of tithes. Over and above these, they were asked to
give free will offerings, according to their capacity. They did this when the Tabernacle was
built. In addition they gave to the servants of God as the Lord enabled them. All together the
Jewish people gave 22-33% of their income to the Lord.
In the New Testament, under the age of Grace, we are not commanded to give tithe. "Freely
you have received, freely you give" is the instruction. "As the Lord purposed in our hearts" is
another basic principle of New Testament giving. I often asked of myself, "Will not God
expect from us much more than the Old Testament giving because we are under Grace? Are
we not using the excuse that there is no command for Tithing in the New Testament? How
can God purpose in the heart of a Christian who does not have a prayerful life?" I see some
similarity in giving with the Old and New Testament giving, although there is no explicit
command in the New Testament regarding tithe. We are to give to the servants of God. Paul
tells of the gifts he received from the Philippian Church more than once (Phil. 4). Then we
read of giving for specific projects like famine relief (1 Cor. 16:1, 2; Acts. 11:27-30).
Some conservative Bible Students advocate that 'Tithing should be done as a jump start' to
help and habit of 'giving freely and liberally'- thought there is no command for tithing in the
New Testament. They say, "Tithing is not the ceiling, it is the floor". These friends argue

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that forcing oneself to start with becomes a habit. Their point is that tithing will be a helper to
train Christians for real New Testament giving.
Though this argument may look logical, is this in agreement with the Bible? I believe that the
saints will certainly give freely when they have fully given themselves to the Lord (2 Cor.
8:5). Preachers and teachers should not use carnal methods and unbiblical principles to raise
money for projects, people and institutions.
The Macedonian Christians showed a good example of sacrificial giving (2 Cor. 8:1-5; 9:18). They were in deep trial. But they gave themselves to the Lord. Because of that they even
gave beyond their ability and above the expectation of the Apostle. Even after they were
asked not to give, they gave liberally, generously, cheerfully and as the Lord told them in
their hearts. Contrasted to this, the Corinthian Church was poor and unfaithful in their giving
(2 Cor. 11:8). But they boasted about their spiritual gifts. Macedonian Churches stand as
example for us. May the Lord make us faithful stewards of the manifold blessings He has
bestowed upon us. Let us go the second mile in giving faithfully for the Lord.
Beloved, let us go an extra mile for our Savior.
Let us be second mile Christians in our love to His Church.
Let us be second mile Christians...

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WHY LABORERS ARE FEW?

Let us read together Matthew 9:36 & 37.

But when He (Jesus) saw the multitude, his heart was moved with compassion on them,
because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His
disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Let us find the answer to the questions, Why are laborers few? Why does the task of
evangelization remains unfinished?
The task of evangelization is entrusted to the Church by the Lord. His last commission says,
All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you ; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age (Matt: 28:18-20).
Jesus, our master has asked us to reach and disciple every ethnic group in the world. This
command came 2000 years ago. But we know that out of the nearly 24 thousand people
groups in the world today, there are about 10 thousand people groups that have no church
witness. What could be the reason? I am persuaded to say that the delivery system is not
good. For example, it was only about 40 years ago that coca cola came into existence. But
now you can see the cans of coca cola in all regions of the world, even in the remotest parts
of the world. Why? It is because the delivery system is effective. But the Gospel of saving
grace has not reached thousands of villages and millions of people, because our delivery
system is wrong or slow. This is puzzling when we think of our resources
We have the Lords command Go Ye.
We have the Lords power- All authority has been given...
We have the Lords presence I am with you always...
We have the Lords jurisdiction-Whole worldall nations
We have the Lords Word-teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded.

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But why has the Gospel not reached many regions? Why is the world still waiting? Why has
the task remained unfinished?

1: Ignorance-Where there is no vision people perish says the Book (Prov. 29:18).
Most Christians live in ignorance about the lands that are not yet evangelized. They do not
know about the tribes and languages that have no Gospel witness. Vision for the un-reached
people groups develops only when we hear, read and see the condition of those people. We
must take the time to look to the map, read about the nations and explore about the people
groups that live under darkness and fears.
Our beloved country, India, has got more than 600 thousand villages. They speak more than
1650 languages and dialects. India is known as the museum of religions. Our precious
people are very religious. Unfortunately the majority of the population in India, especially in
rural areas, lives in superstitions and in fear of Satan and evil spirits. The government is
working hard to eradicate these myths and superstitions. It is trying to stop human sacrifices.
This is where the Church can and must assist the government to eradicate some of the cruel
practices of remote places.
When the Gospel of Christ penetrates into these areas, people progress into civilization with
better housing, better education, better medical care and self reliance. We know that the
Gospel is the answer for every problem of humanity. The Gospel liberates people from sin,
Satan, ignorance, superstition and purposeless life.
But it is a sad truth that major portions of our people in India have not heard the Gospel.
There is no Church witness in many villages, languages and ethnic groups. Many Christians
are not aware of this truth. We live in ignorance. Because of this ignorance we have no
burden for the people who have never heard the Gospel. Because of our ignorance, we have
no vision for perishing souls.
Therefore, it is the duty of the Church leaders to conduct seminars and publish informative
materials about the places and people that have not heard about Christ. It is said, Where
there is no missionary information, there will be no mission involvement. When we provide
information about the mission fields, Gods people will get increased vision for those areas
and begin praying, giving and going.

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In Matt. 20:1-16 Jesus told the parable of a vineyard where the harvest was ready, but
laborers were few. The landowner was searching for laborers. He saw some people in the
market place standing idle. He asked them, Why are you standing idle all the day long?
They responded, Because no one hired us (v. 7).The people were ignorant of the harvest
because nobody told them and nobody motivated them. Dear Christian leaders, God is asking
you to go to the idle Christians and challenge them to get involved in missions.
Nehemiah was serving in the palace of Shushan, living in ignorance of the sad plight of
Jerusalem and the people who had returned there from the captivity. One of his brothers,
Hanani, came to him and reported to him about the wretched situation of the city of God.
The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are in great distress and
reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire
(Neh. 1:3). This information awakened Nehemiah from his apathy and his heart was broken
at the terrible plight of the city of God and the people of God. He began pleading to God with
a broken heart and he decided to leave his lucrative position, risk his life and go to build the
walls of Jerusalem and remove the reproach of the people of God.
The Lord gave me increased vision and passion for evangelism and church planting in some
of the darkest and most needy places of our country, as I read about those places and people. I
then visited some of those places. God compelled me to leave my comfort zone and go to
those hard places with the saving gospel of our precious Lord.
In Andhra Pradesh, on the way to Thumukunta Hills in Rayalseema area, I saw people who
never heard the Name of Jesus Christ. I asked a man in one village, Have you heard of Jesus
Christ. He replied, No, I have not. He has never visited our village. I heard of Indira
Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. I do not know anything about this man Jesus you talk about.
On Thumukunta hills I saw a 15 year old boy who was blind. I asked him, Are you born
blind or became blind later? He replied, My eyes were good till I was 10. But I got a bad
head ache. My grandfather believed it was because of the attack of some evil spirits in me. To
chase the spirits he pierced my temple with hot iron. From that time I became blind.
In Tousem village of Temenglong District in Manipur, I went to a tribe called Zemei.They
had not heard the Gospel of New Birth in Christ. As I proceeded on my journey on foot on
those mountains through the forests, I saw people sacrificing animals to appease gods. In

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Magulong I came across a cave where they believed there is god in the form of a Serpent.
Rani Gadalliu was a lady who promoted this worship of snake -god. People lived in
darkness.
In Mathur, at the outskirts of Chennai (Madras) I saw snake worshippers. They worshipped
the snake gods in the early morning at a bamboo grove by offering banana, milk, sweets and
rice.
In Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh I saw the half naked people called the Lambadas. They
had colorful clothes in front, but their backs were naked. They were heavily adorned by
ornaments of cheap metals, canes and bamboos.
Among the Kotia people they continue the sacrifice of pregnant women to protecting their
village from epidemics and evil spirits.
Even today there are mothers who throw their female infants to the river Ganges to please
their gods and to receive male children in the next delivery.
I can list many more sad stories of superstition and darkness that I have come across in my
journeys. This exposure gave me undying passion to carry the Gospel to them, win them to
Christ and plant Churches.

Brethren, please lift up your eyes and look to the fields that are ready for harvest. Please do
not live in ignorance any longer. Jesus said, Do you not say four months more and then
comes the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest
(John 4:35).
2: MATERIALISM: Matt. 20:3 About the third hour he went out and saw others standing
in the market place doing nothing.
In this parable, as we have already noticed, the land owner was frantically looking for
harvesters. The field was ripe and the laborers were few.
If reaping does not occur immediately, the harvest will be destroyed by rain and flood. But to
the surprise of the land owner, there were many people standing idle in the market place,
unaware of the ready harvest.

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Market place stands for materialism. The market place is where people come to buy and sell
goods. That is the place where people want to make profit. That is the place where the key
words are money and profit. As long as the children of God remain in the market place of
materialism, evangelism will suffer. We are busy for our own livelihood .We want to get
richer than our neighbors. We crave better houses, better cars and increased property.
Therefore, we are unwilling to give sacrificially for the work of the Lord. We hesitate to give
the amount that God puts in our hearts for Church and missionary efforts.
We excuse ourselves and escape as new Testament Christians saying, There is no direct
command to pay tithe. Our responsibility is to give as the Lord tells in our hearts. But
realistically most Christians do not give because God does not tell them how much they
should give. We should give more than the tithe is a men- pleasing statement often said by
Christians who want to escape giving. Often we give to God as if He is a beggar. We give
only the smallest bills and coins. We give only the extras if available after lavishing on all
our needs and wants. Our posh and extravagant living does not allow us to give for the
service of God and to support missionaries.
3: SENSUALISM.
In Matt. 8: 19 we read of a man who came to Jesus and volunteered to follow him. saying,
Master, I will follow you where ever you go. Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and the birds
of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head. (V. 20)
We do not read anything more about that man. He did not follow Christ because there was no
assurance of comfort in following Christ.
We have our five senses. Often we want to do things that will appeal to these senses. Many
people who are called by God to missions refuse to go because of the hardness of the places
and the non-availability of things for their appetites and creature comforts.

When the Lord called me to be a missionary to the hill tribes of the North- east India, I had to
be in places where there was no running water or electricity. I had to use kerosene lanterns or
candlesticks. I had to fetch water from the fountains outside the village. The house was made
of bamboo, dirt and grass. The food was much different than the food that I was enjoying in
South India. There were no jeeps or cars to take me to the mountains. I had to walk through

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the forests, over the hills and cross flooded mountain rivers. But the Lord gave me a vision of
perishing souls living on those hills and mountains. I claimed those mountains just like Caleb
of the Old Testament, give me this mountain (Josh 14: 12). There were times I shivered the
whole night because of severe cold. There were times leeches hung on my body as I walked
through the marshy places. Many times I had to walk through the jungles where there was no
proper path and reach the next mountain village after walking 15 miles. There were no toilet
facilities in most villages in all these states. Life was hard. There was no physical comfort.
The food also was quite new and did not suit my system in the early days. My frail body
ached most of the time and I became a victim of bronchitis and chronic dysentery. In the
midst of it all God gave me the courage to, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). Though I was deprived of many comforts of my body, I thank God for
the souls that are saved and the churches that are planted in those difficult places.
Beloved, God is asking you to go to the regions beyond; leaving all the comforts of your
home town that has many comforts. Brethren, God may be asking you to give up your
comforts and invest for the spreading of the Gospel, training of missionaries and planting of
Churches. Come out from your comfort zone and live a life of frugality that you can save
more money for Gods work and spend it to support Gods work.
4. SENTIMENTALISM.
One of the hindrances in obeying Gods to missions is our desire to be near our kith and kin.
It is hard to say good bye to them and venture to go to far-off places. This I call
sentimentalism. Luke 6:61 talks about a man who came to Jesus and said, I will follow you
Lord, but first let me go back and say good bye to my family.
Many people who were called by God to mission fields do not go because a loved one
pleaded with them not to go far away. Some who were called for full time service for God
could not obey that call because a loved one did not permit him to resign his job and enter a
life of faith and sacrifice.
But Jesus said, If any man comes to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and
children and brethren and sisters, yea his own life also, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:
26).

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I know a friend of mine who received a call from God to go into full time ministry. He
resigned his job without consulting his wife. Conflict and confusion increased in the family.
Finally the man had to take up a job in New Delhi in order to maintain the harmony in the
home. The family prospered materially. But the man had no mental peace after that. Their
children did not walk in the ways of the Lord. They became rebels to God and their parents.
Each of them lived in sin and destroyed their health and wasted the money of the parents. In
old age the wife (mother of these children) regretted badly and apologized to her husband and
asked forgiveness for her disobedience and the hindrance she caused to her husband in
following the directions of the Lord. They both wanted to serve God full time. But it became
so late because of bad health and old age.
The story of Isabella Kuhn has challenged me so much. As a young girl she heard the call of
God to go as a missionary to a far- off land. Her mother did not permit her. She waited two
years. She came to realize that she would have no peace of mind until she obeyed the call of
God to China. But her mother said to her, You cannot go without crossing over my dead
body. Then Isabella replied, Mom, I love you dearly and I want to be always close to you.
But God calls me and I have to obey Him because He is the one who died for me. Let me go
to China where millions are perishing in sin. Isabella went to China. After two years her
mother died. Isabella could not see her dead body. This was painful. But Isabella obeyed God
and paid the price for it. Thousands of precious Chinese people entered the Kingdom of God
because of this sacrifice.
Beloved, God is looking for men and women who will overcome sentimentalism and go to
regions beyond where precious people live without hope and under superstition and
darkness. There are places from where you can hear the Macedonian Cry Come over and
help us. Will you obey that call today? Will you overcome your sentimentalism and be ready
to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ?
Will you start reading information about lands and people who have never heard of the
Gospel? If you cannot go, will you come out of the market place and spend what you have to
send missionaries to needy places? God is calling you today - to spend and be spent for the
Church of Jesus Christ in regions that are not reached yet with the message of salvation. Will
you join today with Apostle Paul and say, It has been my ambition to preach the Gospel
where the name of Jesus is not heard yet (Rom 15:20)?

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Do not keep the world waiting. Reach the un-reached. The task is unfinished. Let us join
the army of the Master and finish the task.

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WHY STAND YE IDLE ALL THE DAY?

Let us read the parable Jesus shared in Matthew 20:1-16.
Now please give special attention to verse 6 and it reads, And about the eleventh hour he
went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why have you been standing here
idle all day?(KJV).
NIV reading of verse 6b is, Why have you been standing in the market place doing
nothing?
In this parable we read of a landlord who was trying to get labourers to harvest his vineyard
that was ripened for harvest. He began looking for harvesters from the first hour of the day.
(Please note the Hebrew way of counting hours of the day. Our 6AM = 1 in the morning.
9AM= 3rd hour of the day. 12NOON= 6th hour of the day. 3PM= 9th hour of the day.
5PM=11th hour of the day. 6PM= 12th hour of the day). The owner of the vineyard saw
people standing in the market place doing nothing. Some of them responded to his call at
6AM. The landlord made an agreement with them regarding their wage for a day and that
was fixed at 1 denarius. But he required more labourers. So at 9AM, 12 Noon and 3 PM he
hired more labourers. Even with this, there was a great shortage of workers for the harvest.
You can easily visualize the scenario. The vineyard fully ripened for harvest. The rainy
season is imminent. If the grapes are not harvested soon, they would perish in the rain. So the
landlord went to the market place at the 11th hour that is our 5PM. Only one more hour is left
for day time. In another one hour night-fall would come and it will be too late to harvest the
field. The landlord saw people idly standing in the market place even at this eleventh hour.
The landlord promised them a wage that will be according to his desire and invited them to
go and harvest. They responded to the call without any mention of the amount they would
receive as their wage.
At the end of the day the master of the vineyard called all of them and started giving them
their wage. Those who worked for the whole day received one denarius they had agreed with
the master. Those who worked for 6 hours and 3 hours also received the same reward. Those
who joined the harvest at the 11th hour came in the end to get the reward. They also received
one denarius each for gathering the grapes, just for an hour.

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Then the master of the harvest heard a complaint from those who worked for several hours
saying that their wage was less compared to those who worked for only an hour. He reminded
them the terms of contract. He also told them that he had the right to give according to his
will to those who worked in the harvest field, those who joined without a contract.
Those who joined at the 11th for the harvest did not demand any reward. But the master
surprised them with the wage for the whole day. (One denarius was one day wage for a
roman soldier in those days).

2
Those who worked for many hours were taken by surprise because they expected more. Their
reasoning was that they worked many hours. The volume and duration of their work was
much.
Hearing this complaint and murmur, the master of the vineyard told them a spiritual truth
which had become a meaningful proverb, So, the last will be first and the first last and the
great theological truth, For many are called, but few chosen (v.16)
In this short message, I will try to bring to your attention some simple truths you need to
remember about Christian Mission- which primarily is Evangelization of the world.
I.

URGENCY OF THE HARVEST.

Sharing the Gospel and leading sinners to Salvation is called harvest of souls. God is the
Lord of harvests (Matt.9:38). He convicts sinners of their sin (John 16:8). He gives them faith
to believe in Christ. (Eph. 2:8, 9) He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb.12:2). He
gives them assurance of salvation (Rom.8:16, 1 John 5:11-13). He adds them to the church
(Acts 2:47). A preacher cannot save anyone. A counsellor cannot assure salvation to any
seeker. Salvation belongs to our Almighty and Gracious God.
The Harvest season is always limited. It is only for a short duration. The owner of the
vineyard knows when the grapes are ready to be harvested. He knows that it has to be
harvested and gathered into the granary before the rains. Gods call for salvation is for a
limited season. He determines the season for every tongue and tribe. During that short period
of time, the Church of Jesus Christ must share with them the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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We must support and send pioneer missionaries and church planters to those regions. We
must sense the receptivity of the people and we must put all our human efforts to reach the
gospel to them when the field is ready to harvest.
Jesus made an important statement in John 4:35 about this urgency of the harvest. Do you
not say, Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the
fields! They are ripe for the harvest. He spoke this to the disciples in the context of
witnessing to a Samaritan woman. Jewish people in Judea and Galilee were irresponsive to
the gospel. He came to His own and they received Him not. The Samaritans were like
outcasts to the Hebrew people. But Jesus speaks out a tremendous truth in verse 35. He
seemed to say, Even though you say that this is not the season for harvest, with regard to the
Samaritans they are ripe and ready for harvest. The responsibility of the church is to sense
the receptivity of tribes and tongues and focus on them before the harvest season is over.
Win the people when they are winnable. Remember, they will become unwinnable.

This was true in the case of the evangelization of Japan. Because of the terrible defeat of
Japan in the Second World War, the people of Japan lost their faith in their emperor and
religion. There was a great vacuum to be filled. Douglas McArthur sensed it. He pleaded with
the American Churches, Let us send 1000 missionaries to Japan now. We can win Japan for
the Lord. But American Christians did not heed this call because they harboured severe hurt
and anger because of the unprovoked bombing of Pearl Harbour by Japan. After several
years, Western missionaries began to go to Japan to evangelize the people. But by that time
people of Japan had become materialistic and fully sold to secular humanism and atheism.
Today our missionaries labour in Japan faithfully. But the response is very slow. American
churches spend millions of dollars in Japan for evangelism. But Very few people come to the
Lord.
This episode reminded me the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 8:20,
The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved. God gives a window of
time, limited period for the spiritual harvest for every country, region, nation and tribe. God
gave a fixed season for sinners to repent during the time of Noah. They did not. God said,
My Spirit shall not strive with man forever (Gen. 6:3).

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Of course we believe that God is in control of history and its changes. It is God who draws
sinners to salvation (John 6:37). God will surely bring sinners to His eternal kingdom from
every tongue and tribe. (John.10:16, 26-28, Matt.24:14, Rev.7:9, 10) No one can say,
because of the churchs neglect, God could not save the people whom He wanted to save.
However, God has commanded us to carry the Gospel to every tongue and tribe while it is
day, the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4).
Beloved, let us hasten our efforts to reach every tongue and tribe with the good news of
salvation. Doors of evangelism may be abruptly closed in some countries because of political
changes. Natural calamities like flood, earthquake, epidemics and fire can hinder us from
carrying the Gospel to some regions. Wars and conflicts can stop us from taking the gospel to
some nations.
Beloved, your life is uncertain. Ill health, financial loss and sudden death can happen. Then
you will not be able to do the work of God, though you had great plans for it, but delayed.
The second coming of our Saviour is imminent and it can be at anytime. You will then have
no more opportunity to win souls. You will not be able to give your money for
evangelization. It will be too late, brother.
Therefore beloved, let us be in a hurry to go into the harvest field where ever we can go, near
or far. Let us support and send harvesters to places where you cannot go. Let us train as many
harvesters as possible.

II. CALLING FOR HARVESTERS.

God is the author of salvation. He has called His Church to perform the part of sharing the
Gospel. This is the highest vocation a child of God can receive from the Lord.
He calls His children from early morning (Matt. 20:1). That is the first hour of the dayfrom the first moment of the first day of our salvation! Our Saviour expects each one of us to
be His witnesses from the day He saved us from the penalty of sin, from the day of our new
birth in Christ.
Jesus expects everyone who follows Him to be soul winners. He said in Matthew 4:19,
Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. His last commission to every Christian is,

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Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Jesus healed a
man who was demon possessed. The man requested Jesus to allow him to remain with Him.
But Jesus said to him, Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord
has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you (Mark 5:19). In Galilee Jesus
healed a leper. Then He told him, Go your way, show yourself to the priest. (Mark 1:44b).
We read the story of the Samaritan womans salvation in John Chapter 4. Immediately after
her life was transformed, The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and
said to the men, Come and see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be
the Christ (verse.29)? Hearing her witness many Samaritans came to Jesus and believed in
Him. On the third day after the crucifixion of Christ, on Sunday early morning, two ladies
came to His sepulchre. Angel of the Lord told them, Go quickly and tell His disciples that
He is risen from the dead... (Matt.28:7). So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear
and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word (Verse 8).
Witnessing for Christ is not optional. God expects it from every born again child of God,
right from the first day of salvation. Our witness is twofold:Go and tell- Preaching the gospel is our verbal witness. That is sharing the gospel with our
lips. Apostle Paul said, For necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
Gospel (1 Cor.9:16b). Preach the word is the command Paul gave to his spiritual son
Timothy in 2 Timothy 4: 2.
Go and show This is the second aspect of witnessing for the saviour. Your life should
exhibit the transformation that took place in your heart. Your lip witness should be backed
up by your life witness. Your profession must be manifested in your practical living. The
world must see Jesus in you.
Call to share the gospel is not for just a few of the believers. It is not given only to the
ordained clergy; the command is for all those who have accepted Christ as personal saviour
and Lord.
Peter writes, You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into
His marvellous light (1 Pet.2:9).

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Dear Children of God, this call has come to you on the first day of your glorious Salvation in
Christ. Have you obeyed that call? Are you faithfully spreading the gospel by your lips and
by your life? Are you spending your money to spread of the Gospel? Or, are you standing
idly, doing nothing for the Salvation of sinners?
You may not have responded to the Lords call though He was calling you from the day of
your salvation. But it is not too late brother. The parable says that the master went out to call
labourers throughout the day- 3rd hour, 6th hour, 9th hour and even at the 11th hour. Here we
see the graciousness of our loving, persevering God who extends to His children a second
opportunity, a third opportunity, a fourth opportunity and many opportunities even after we
disobey Him and reject His call.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you have obeyed His call already that is wonderful. If you have
not yet obeyed, He is inviting you to come and join Him in the reaping of harvest. Please lift
up your heads and look to the regions, tongues and tribes that are still un-evangelized and
unengaged. Do some research and explore the people groups that have no church existing
among them. You may have wasted many years. You may have become an old man or old
woman. This may be the 11th hour for you. Do not be disheartened about the wasted years.
With your full commitment, you can do much more within the short span of life that is
available to you.
II. SHORTAGE OF HARVESTERS.
Throughout the human history God steadfastly called men and women to proclaim His
greatness, goodness and grace to the world. Whenever sin, wickedness, injustice and violence
increased, God in His faithfulness and compassion sought men and women to declare His
holiness and revive people to worship Him alone. But often we saw serious scarcity of
faithful labourers for the Lord.
Jesus said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few.
(Matt.9:37.) God said in Ezek.22:30, So I sought for a man among them who would make a
wall, and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I
found none. But thanks be to God, He raises a few men in every generation and in the
darkest period of history, to stand for Him and plead the people to repent.

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When the whole world lived in wickedness, God called and appointed Noah to be a
watchman before destroying the world by flood. When Israel and her prophets and priests
lived in sin, God found a young boy, Samuel to stand for Him. When the Hebrew nation was
in the terrible agony of slavery under Pharaoh, God called and separated Moses to be the
deliverer.
But a vast number of Christians disobey the call of God just like Jonah, the disobedient
prophet of the Old Testament.
In this parable recorded in Mathew 20:1-16, we see some lame excuses and hindrances that
stopped people from joining the harvest volunteers.
(1) IGNORANCE OF THE HARVEST- About the 11th hour the landlord went to the
market place and saw some people standing and doing nothing. He asked, Why are
you standing idle all day? Then they replied, Because no one hired us (v.6).
Although the harvest was plentiful, these people did not know about this ready
harvest. Proverb 29:18 says, Where there is no vision people perish. It is sad; most
Christians often live doing nothing for the evangelization of the world, because they
are ignorant of the tribes and tongues that never hear the name of Jesus Christ.

William Carey read about India and his heart was moved when he knew that the
people were living in darkness, superstition and man-made religions. He looked to the
map of India and pleaded with the Lord to send pioneer workers to this great country.
Finally, Carey obeyed the call of God and came to India as a missionary. Hudson
Taylor read about China and its darkness. The Lord called him to China and he
obeyed. My good friend, Narayan Paul heard about the Saura people of Srikakulam
District. He with his young wife and their small child went to the hills of the Saura
people. He lived many years there, facing untold miseries and the attack of malaria
frequently. God used him to plant more than thirty local churches among the Saura
people. Until 1983 the Lambadi tribe in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh did not
hear the gospel of Christ. A young Christian, new believer, ArogyaSwamy saw some
of these half-naked primitive people. His heart was moved with compassion. Brother
Swamy did more research and studied about these people, reading about them and
visiting their villages and small huts. Brother ArogyaSwamy shared this news with
me. The Lord strengthened our hands to carry the gospel to these people. We were

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able to send some missionaries to these villages. The Lord blessed His Word. People
were saved and they obeyed the Lord in baptism. Now there are growing churches in
25+ villages.

Beloved, it is the responsibility of every Christian to seek and find places and people
that are not evangelised. Preachers and Christian leaders must inform Christians about
regions that are without a Christian witness. It is our duty to give such information to
churches.
7
When that awareness level is raised in churches, people will respond to the call of
God and venture for evangelism and church planting. Where there is no missionary
information, there will be no missionary involvement.

God has given me a great burden to challenge the saints of God to lift up their eyes
and look to the fields that are ready to harvest. Many of our churches have lived for
years without any mission emphasis. They are oblivious of the people groups that die
in sin, not hearing the gospel even once. This ignorance must be removed. This is the
responsibility of preachers and shepherds of the flock of God.

(2) LIVING WITHOUT PURPOSEMathew 20:3 in NIV Bible reads, About the third hour he went out and saw others
standing in the market place doing nothing. They could not find anything worth
doing. They had no goal, and no purpose. They were simply wasting time.
It is shocking to see many Christians finding nothing worth doing and wasting their
time. Dear friend, you are created with a purpose (Jer.1:4&5). Dear child of God, the
Lord has redeemed you with a purpose. He has called you to shine as light in this
world. You are commanded to witness for your saviour.

The moment you are saved, you should seek the will of God for your life. He is ready
to reveal His will for your life. The Lord promised in Psalm 32:8, I will instruct you

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and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Psalm 37:23
makes this point very clear, The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

Brother, God has a plan for your future. He has a purpose in saving you. Turn away
from a purposeless life. Do not stand idle. Do no waste your time. God has given you
the most worthy job. And that is to live as the Ambassador of Jesus Christ. Do not
lose that opportunity, dear brother.

(3) STANDING IN THE MARKET PLACE.

These people were standing idle, in the market place (vv.3). People in the market
place think about money, profit & losses. The market place is a picture of
materialism.

What shall I eat? What shall I drink? What clothes shall I put on? What house shall I
buy? How can I buy a better car? How can I have a better house than my neighbour?
And how can I be richer than others? These are the thoughts of a worldly minded
materialist.
8
A worldly minded man will try to grab all things he can and will accumulate things of
this world. He thinks he has possessions. In fact possessions are controlling him. His
life orbits around the stuff of this world. Such people will not be able to invest for
the kingdom of God. Worldly Christians will not have time to think about the work of
God. They will have no interest in the harvest of souls.

To be rich in this world is not a sin. But to be controlled by riches is sin. Often we
come across rich Christians behave in a miserly way when they are invited to give for
the work of God. However, we are at times pleasantly surprised to see some wealthy
Christians open their wallets and generously support pioneer missionaries.

If you are in the market place, beloved Christian, come out of that place of
materialism. Obey the call of God, Go and make disciples... Listen to the
Macedonian calls from the heathen nations, come over and help us. Please join the

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volunteers for evangelism and soul winning. Go to the vineyard. Support the
harvesters. We are living at the 11thhour in history. So, do not delay, my dear
Christian.

IV. WAGES FOR THE HARVESTERS.

We have already explained in the introduction that all the harvesters got equal wages
even though some worked for only one hour and the others worked for the whole day. What
could be the reason?
Here we see two kinds of labourers. Some were on a contract. The landlord had to
motivate them to go to the vineyard by the promise of a reward, one denarius a day (Matt.
20:2). They were hired labourers. I call them workers on a contract basis. They went to the
harvest field with their eyes on reward.
The second group of harvesters went to the vineyard without any demand for wages.
They went to the field submitting themselves to the will of the master of vineyard. The
landlord said, I will pay you whatever is right (v.4). The people went to harvest because
they knew the urgency of the harvest and the desire of the landlord. I call these kinds of
workers serving the master on love basis. Apostle Paul said in 2 Cor.5:14, For the love of
Christ persuades me.
In the vineyard of the Lord we often see these two kinds of workers. Many of them serve the
Lord and His church for their monthly salary. These pastors are called by a pulpit
committee who take them on contract with a set amount of pay, on parsonage, vehicle,
childrens education, insurance and other wages. They are hired by the church. They do
the work for their financial benefits. When they get tired or unhappy, they resign or quit.
Often they do the service of God half-heartedly.

But, thanks be to God, we are glad to see many pastors, preachers, evangelists and labourers
of the Lord joyfully and whole-heartedly evangelizing, planting churches and performing
pastoral ministries without expecting a salary or reward. For them, serving the Lord and the
Church is not a job, but a ministry. Like Apostle Paul, these dear saints of the Lord are so
thankful to God for the call they received from the Lord (2 Tim.1:12). Some of these faithful

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men and women have wasted the major portion of their lives. They wasted their years. They
were standing in the market place and doing nothing. But now, they obeyed the call of God
and launched out into the deep and wholeheartedly witnessed for the Lord.
This brings to my mind, a dear man of God in America, a close friend of mine, who
did not know the importance of evangelism and soul winning till he was in his sixties. He was
a successful business man, an engineer. Then the Lord gave him an opportunity to go to
Florida and attend the seminar on evangelism explosion. His life was changed. From that
time onwards until this day, this dear saint of God is 100% sold out for the harvest of souls in
his own country and around the world, by investing his resources, going where his health
permits and encouraging hundreds of other harvesters of the Lord. In his early nineties, this
man of God has testified to me that his life was being fulfilled and he is eternally thankful to
God for calling him and persuading him to serve in His vineyard.
At the end of the day, beloved, when our saviour comes and we all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ, all the labourers of the Lord will be rewarded. The wages will not be
on the basis of quantity of our work or duration of our ministry. It will be on the basis of
quality honesty, sincerity, integrity and faithfulness. Man sees only the external works of
man. Man sees the size of the work. But God sees the heart. He sees the motive.
Let us read 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 where Apostle Paul warns us that the voluminous
works that are big in size like wood, hay and stubble will be burnt by fire. But the small in
size yet precious silver, gold and precious stones will be lasting. What did Paul mean by this
comparison?
Heaven will be the place of many surprises. There will be many popular preachers
and Christian leaders who were considered successful in this world. But they will not be
rewarded as they expected, because they did the work of God in the wrong spirit. They
worked in competition with other servants of God. Some of them may have even stolen
Gods money and enlarged their estates and buildings. God saw their secrets and they will
lose their rewards. But there will be many others who humbly served the Lord and his church.
They did not get any applause from others because their work was small. But the Lord saw
their hearts, their motive and the quality of their ministry. God will reward them much more
than what anyone imagined.

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For the faithful men and women of God, who served with pure motive and full heart,
though it was only from the 11th hour, the wages will be beyond description. Paul writes in
this
way, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things
which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor.2:9).
Are you idling your time, dearly beloved? Have you found purpose for your life on
earth? Are you in the market place? Are you serving God on a contract basis? Come out and
join the harvesters of the Lord, even at this 11th hour. Look to the receptive people groups.
Knock at the doors of sinners. Lead souls to Christ. The night is coming and you will lose the
opportunity to work for your Lord.

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An Appeal
These messages are not written either that you might get some intellectual awareness about
missions or that you might become an expert in Missiology, but that you might get a vision
and get a burden from the Lord.
Now, having arrived at the end of your reading, what will you do now? And how will
you do it?
Please take a good look at the needs around you. Kindly acknowledge that it will be
hard helping in the place of greatest need. Nevertheless look to Christ to help you make the
effort. There are many hundreds of people groups waiting for the gospel message. Can Christ
reach out to them through your life, prayer and contributions?
There are multitudes here in India who never heard of Christ. Do you care?
It is not what you are but who God is that matters and how much you allow your life
to be a channel for him to work through. It is your yielding to the Holy Spirit which decides
that course of your action.
There are missionaries, evangelists, preachers, teachers, doctors, nurses, linguists,
writers, printers, engineers, technicians, etc. ready to go a second mile for the Lord to the
places where you cannot go. Will you help? Will you be that man to stand behind them?
MY DECISION
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Place:
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